Balancing
by scarletsailor
Summary: Dick Grayson has a problem. He has to juggle living the double life of normal teenager and superhero. But when he falls head over heels for Barbara Gordon, can he keep the balance? DickXBabs
1. A Little More Homework

Balancing

Chapter 1: A Little More Homework

Dick sat down at a lunch table and loosened his scarlet tie. He never really liked the Gotham Academy uniforms. It consisted of, for boys, a white button-up long sleeved shirt, dark blue pants, scarlet ties, dark blue jackets, and black shoes. Girls had to wear dark blue skirts, blazers, scarlet ties, black shoes, and white button-up shirts.

"Hey, freshman," a familiar voice said. Dick looked up to see his friend Barbara Gordon grinning down at him with a lunch tray in her hands. She had long red hair and penetrating blue eyes that were always somehow able to read Dick like a book. She was slim, but not anorexic skinny. Dick always thought that she had a good figure, but didn't like to dwell on those kinds of thoughts.

Dick smiled. "Hey, Barbara," he said welcomingly. She sat down and bumped him aside to make more room for her.

"What's up?"

"Not much." Barbara took a bite of her apple and offered Dick one of her fries. He accepted it with a shrug and gulped it down. Other students were bustling around, using their free time at lunch to hang out. Dick looked down at his full backpack and considered his next move.

"Hey, Barb," Barbara looked up at him, "do you think you could help me out with something?"

Barbara narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked cautiously.

Dick gulped. He hated having to do this. "Could you…help me with some math homework?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

Barbara smiled. "Well, look who needs my help," she said teasingly, "_Dickie Grayson_."

Growling, Dick nudged her halfheartedly with his elbow. "Will you do it or not?" he asked impatiently.

Barbara giggled. "Okay," she said, sighing dramatically, "I'll do it."

"Thanks," Dick grumbled. He helped himself to another fry and tossed it into the air. He caught it in between his teeth and grinned cockily at Barbara. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the fry held loosely in his teeth. She took a bite and Dick stared.

"That fry was in my mouth," he remarked, "so would that be like indirect kissing?"

Barbara's eyes grew in fear and she dropped the fry on her tray. Dick burst into laughter and smirked. Barbara pushed the tray away. "I think I've lost my appetite," she said. She turned to glare at Dick who simply smiled back at her. "How can you be so obnoxious?" she questioned.

"Because I know you love me this way," Dick said, shrugging. He winked and grabbed another fry from Barbara's pushed away tray.

Barbara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "So, when do you want to meet so I can help you with your homework?" she asked.  
>Dick looked up at the sky in thought. "How about you come over to the manor after school?" he offered. "We can walk over together."<p>

"Sure," Barbara said. She took out her phone and dialed a number. "I'll just have to call my dad and make sure it's okay," she said, getting up. Dick nodded and she walked away as the phone rang.

Dick's friend Henry Jones sat down across from him with a huge grin on his face. Dick looked up at his best friend and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You're scoring Barbara Gordon," Henry said, barely containing his excitement.

Dick scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're insane," he said, shaking his head.

Henry glared. "You're the one who's denying a relationship with hottie Barbara Gordon," he said stubbornly.

"I told you not to call her that," Dick said. His voice held anger hidden beneath the forced calm demeanor.

Henry paled. "Right," he said quickly, "sorry."

Dick nodded stiffly. He knew that there were many guys who had their eyes on Barbara. And Dick wasn't jealous, just protective. He had a right to be. There were some guys who might just try and go too far.

"But still," Henry said persistently, "I can tell you like her. And you two get along!"

"She's a whole year older than me," Dick reasoned. True she was, but they always got along as if age didn't matter. Heck, they were the same height. They had known each other for years and hung out often. But they had never been anything more than friends, no matter how much Dick wished they could be more. He soon dismissed the feelings and focused on his duties for school and being Robin. But those feelings were still there.

Dick took a drink from his water bottle. Henry rolled his eyes. "When are you gonna admit that you're in love?" he asked.  
>Dick took a spit take and spurted Henry with water. This was accidental, of course. Or was it?<p>

"Ugh!" Henry groaned as he shook himself. Dick snickered and failed to hold back his bark of laughter.

"Okay, my dad said I could go as long as—" Barbara stopped abruptly as she noticed Henry drenched in water and Dick doubled over in laughter. "Should I ask what happened?" she asked Dick.

"No," Dick said with difficulty. He wheezed in laughter and clutched at his sides. Henry stood angrily from the table and stormed away.

"Shouldn't you go and talk to him?" Barbara asked, sitting back down next to Dick. He had finally gotten a hold of himself and was sitting up straight again.

"Nah, he'll be alright." Dick waved his hand dismissively and grabbed another fry.

Barbara smiled softly. She traced a random pattern on the surface of the table with her finger and stared up at the sky. Dick watched her hand and noticed that she was tracing a bat. He smiled and grabbed her hand. "Is someone thinking about their little celebrity crush?"

Barbara snickered. "You're just jealous because Robin is taller than you," she retorted. Dick held back a grin. If she only knew…

Dick had considered telling Barbara his secret several times. Bruce had always told him to never reveal it to anyone, no matter how close to him they are. But he trusted Barbara not only with a secret, but his math homework. Batman and Robin had saved Barbara a few times before. The fact that she was the Commissioner's daughter often put her in danger.

"So, your dad said you could come over?" Dick asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Yep," Barbara said. Dick smiled as she rubbed his hand with her thumb. He tried to ignore the swelling in his chest and silently hoped that his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. He licked his lips and studied Barbara's dazzling blue eyes.

Barbara blushed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What?" she asked.

"Barbara!"

The two teens jumped apart as Bette Kane walked up to them with her hands on her hips. Dick felt a sense of loss tingle in his hand.

"Are we going to meet Linda before sixth period or what?" the blonde asked.

Dick glared at Bette and grabbed his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and stood. "I gotta go," he said shortly. Dick walked off with Barbara's eyes on his back. She turned back to face Bette.

"Why do you always have the worst timing?"

Bette shrugged. "I guess it's just one of my many talents," she said simply. "Now, come one. Linda's waiting for us."

Barbara rolled her eyes and stood up. The two girls walked towards their sixth period together just as the bell rang.

* * *

><p>Barbara checked the time on her phone: 2:45. Dick was late. He said he'd meet her in the front courtyard at 2:40. She knew that he knew how she didn't like him to be late.<p>

"Hey!"

Barbara looked up to see Dick running towards her with random papers in his arms. He stopped in front of her and grinned. "Sorry I'm late, but my teacher wanted to talk to me about this project that I did about a week ago. She said I did a really good job on it and she gave it back to me but the staple fell off so now the papers are all—" Barbara placed a finger to his lips to silence him. Her annoyance had faded away to see him acting so cute.

"Do you ever take a break from talking?" she asked, smiling.

Dick grinned. "I think you know the answer to that question, Babs," he said.

They smiled at each other and began walking towards Wayne Manor.

"So, what kinda math homework are we talking about here?" Barbara asked.

Dick pulled a packet of papers out of his backpack as he attempted to shove his project in. He handed the packet to Barbara and said, "Pre-calculus, not fun."

Barbara took a look at the complicated math problems. "No problem," she said simply, "I remember doing this stuff last year. It should be a piece of cake." She tossed the packet which Dick caught neatly.

"Thanks, Barb," Dick said gratefully. He always admired how smart Barbara was. He never understood it, but he respected her for it. Sometimes, he thought about how good a crime fighter she would make. But he didn't dare suggest the idea to Bruce.

Dick studied the glow that radiated off of Barbara's long red hair in the sunlight. He caught himself doing this often. Dick wasn't exactly sure what it was about Barbara that made him like her so much, but he just did. He cursed himself for ever falling for an older girl, especially Barbara. He'd been attracted to her ever since he first met her.

Barbara suddenly noticed Dick's staring and raised an eyebrow at him. "Something you wanna tell me?" she asked in confusion.

Dick blushed and immediately turned away. "U-um, no, no, n-nothing," he stuttered.

Barbara resisted the urge to laugh. She loved the shade of pink that colored Dick's cheeks when he blushed. She hadn't seen him blush since the last time they hung out after school, two weeks ago.

"Hey, look, we're here!" Dick said suddenly, running up to the gates of Wayne Manor. He hit a buzzer on the gate and spoke into it. "Hey Alfred, can you open the gates for me and Babs? She's gonna hang out for a little while, if that's okay."

"That's fine, Master Richard," Alfred said back. "The gate shall open in a moment." The gates creaked open and Dick held his arm out welcomingly. Barbara walked in and Dick followed, closing the gates behind them. Dick opened the door and he and Barbara walked inside.

Barbara had been inside the manor many times, but it always creeped her out. It was dark and cold but Dick seemed to brighten up the place.

"Welcome, Miss Barbara," Alfred said, walking up and bowing.

"Hey, Alfred," Barbara said sweetly, smiling.

Dick marveled at her smile and stared for a moment. He was broken from his reverie when Alfred spoke again.

"I'm afraid that Master Bruce is not here at the moment due to an important business meeting," Alfred said, casting Dick a casual glance. 'Important business meeting' was their code phrase for 'Batman mission' whenever company was over. "After I informed him that you were to have company over," Alfred said, "Master Bruce bade me to tell you that you would be allowed to stay here."

"Okay," Dick said. "Well, Babs and I were just gonna go upstairs and work on some homework."

"Very well, have fun you two," Alfred said.

"Thanks Alfred!" Dick said. He grabbed Barbara's hand and dragged her up the grand staircase.

"Bye Alfred!" Barbara said, waving.

Alfred simply smiled and walked off.

Dick pulled Barbara into his room and shut the door. Barbara smiled and sat down on the bed. She looked around and took in the smell of Dick's room. It always smelled like pine. The warm burgundy color made the room feel like home. There were a few posters hanging on the walls of rock bands, superheroes, and movies. Dick's bed was large with navy blue blankets and a wooden bedside table held a green lamp that lit up the room. There was large a window on the left side of the room that let in some sunlight. The dark green carpet was soft under bare feet.

Dick threw his blazer on a rack by the window and sighed as fell back onto the bed. He looked up at Barbara and smiled. "Have I ever told you how pretty your eyes are?" he asked randomly.

Barbara suppressed a giggle and blushed slightly. "You've never said it before, but I like hearing it," she said, falling back on the bed next to him. The two teens stared up at the ceiling which Dick painted to look like the night sky. He'd even painted in constellations. Sometimes, they would just lie on his bed together and name all of them. They lay there for a long time, simply enjoying each other's company.

Dick propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Barbara. Her red hair was fanned out around her head and her blue eyes glittered. He smiled and said, "You wanna get cracking on that math homework?"

"Sure," Barbara sighed. Dick stood from the bed and bent over his backpack. Barbara sat up and giggled as she noticed something peeking out from the back of Dick's pants.

"Batman boxers?"

Dick blushed, stood up abruptly, and yanked his pants up. "That's not funny!" he said, trying to hold back his own embarrassed laughter. Barbara fell back on the bed, giggling uncontrollably. Dick couldn't help but smile at the sight. He grumpily (thought with a grudging smile on his face) got out his math homework and tossed it in Barbara's lap. He sat down on the bed next to her and ran a hand through his black hair.

Barbara flipped through the packet and her brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, but I thought you said you needed help," Barbara said. "All of these problems are completed."

"I know," Dick said, tossing the packet on his bedside table, "I just wanted to spend some time with you." He grabbed Barbara's shoulder and pulled her back onto the bed. She looked over at him and scoffed in amazement.

"My dad thinks I'm helping you with homework right now," she said.

"So does Alfred." Dick shrugged carelessly and looked at Barbara. "We haven't hung out in two weeks," he remarked.

Barbara blinked and smiled. She loved Dick's blue eyes. They were dark but still so full of light and warmth.

"You're crazy," she said softly.

Dick smiled. "That's just one of the many things you love about me," he said, winking. Barbara rolled her eyes and shoved him in the shoulder. Dick grinned and loosened his tie again. That reminded Barbara of something.

"So, what were you and Henry talking about at lunch?"

"Oh, Henry was just—" Dick paled. His throat suddenly went dry.

"What?" Barbara asked.  
>Dick thought for a moment and struggled to come up with something. "We were just talking about a g-girl," he said nervously. That probably wasn't the best thing he could've come up with.<p>

"A girl?" Barbara asked, laughter audible in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Dick said quickly. He never was able to lie to Barbara. "She's this girl I've got a crush on." No, why did he say that?

"Oh yeah?" Barbara said with interest. "Who is she?"

"I can't tell you," Dick said defiantly.

"Oh, come on," Barbara made her puppy-dog face, "please?"

Dick stared into her adorable face with narrowed eyes. He sighed and looked back at the ceiling. "She's got blue eyes," he said in defeat. Barbara propped herself up on her elbows and listened intently. "I've known her for a long time now and she's a close friend. I can't tell you the color of her hair. That's classified." Barbara smile. "She's really smart and can read me like a book. Ironically enough, she loves to read books. I've had a crush on her ever since I met her. She's beautiful. But, you don't know her." Dick stopped talking and sighed dreamily.

"What, that's all I get to know?" Barbara said.

Dick faced her. "I think I told you a lot," Dick scoffed.

Barbara smiled. She fell back on the bed and sighed. "I hope you get this girl of yours," she said.

"Thanks." Dick gave a small smile and his hand nudged hers. She gently took hold of his hand. They both loved how comfortable they could be around each other. Dick was able to pretend that holding hands was just a simple friendly gesture.

"Can I ask you a weird question?"

Dick looked over at her and nodded. "Sure."

Barbara sighed. "Is it weird for me to have a crush on Robin?"

Dick chuckled. "No," he said. "He _is_ the Boy Wonder, after all."

Barbara laughed lightly. "I'm serious, Dick," she said. "Is it weird?"

Dick tapped his chin thoughtfully and studied the Orion constellation. "I guess it depends," he said. "Some might say that it's weird, but I bet those people hardly know you or Robin. Now, I know you, and I know you're smart. Robin doesn't seem to be a bad guy, so if you like him, okay. I don't think it's weird."

Barbara smiled. "I'm glad you decided to respond with a smart answer this time, Grayson," she snickered.

"Me too." Dick smiled up at the ceiling. He always giggled on the inside whenever Barbara talked to him about her crush on Robin. He knew that there were many girls who 'fell in love' with the red and green clad vigilante, but the fact that Barbara had surprised him.

Barbara's cell phone vibrated and Bette Kane's face appeared on the screen. Barbara sat up and answered it. "Hello?" There was a pause, but Dick could still hear Bette's voice from the other end. "I'm at Dick's house," Barbara said. "I'm helping him with homework… Yes, really… No, we're not doing that! You're so stupid! I'm telling you he's just a friend."

Dick blushed as he realized what they must've been talking about. Bette had often teased them about secret attractions. Teasing seemed to be just one of Bette's many talents.

"Will you please just drop it?" Barbara pleaded. "Yes, I will… I'm not stupid, Bette… Alright, alright, I will… Bye." Barbara pressed a button on her phone and tossed it in her backpack. She sighed and fell back on the bed.

"Bette being annoying again?"

"Yes," Barbara said. "She asked me if we were doing anything she wouldn't do."

Dick snickered. "And you told her that you were helping me with homework?" he asked in amusement.

"Well, I wasn't gonna tell her we were just hanging out, then she'd jump to even higher conclusions."

"Bette does jump pretty high," Dick said, nodding. He found Barbara's hand and played with her fingers. "What would lead her to think that?" he muttered.

Barbara scoffed and pulled her hand away. "You're an idiot," she chuckled.

Dick grinned. "It's insults like those that let me know you care about me, Babs." He folded his hands behind his head and sighed in contentment. "We should do this more often," Dick sighed.

"We should," Barbara agreed.

A thought suddenly came to Dick's mind. "You know Christmas is coming up soon."

"Yeah," Barbara said, "and yet the weather is still nice and warm."

"Not my point," Dick said. "What do you want?"

Barbara furrowed her brow. "For Christmas?"

Dick sighed. "No, for St. Patrick's Day, yes Christmas!" he said.

Barbara smiled. She never really considered that Dick would actually get her something. "I'm not sure," she said.

"Hmm," Dick hummed. A devious smile crossed his face as he got a brilliant idea.

"What are you thinking?" Barbara asked cautiously. She was almost afraid to know the answer.

"Nothing," Dick said in a sing-song voice. His grin only grew wider. "You and your dad are coming over again this year, right?"

"Yes, unless I can talk him out of it," Barbara said slowly.

Dick sniggered. "Oh come on, we always have a good time here at the Manor," he said.

Barbara laughed. "Remember that one year where you accidentally stuck the pig with a suit of armor's spear?" she asked.

"Now, who said that was accidental?" Dick joked. He and Barbara laughed at the old memory.

"And then when my dad accidentally let the knife slip," Barbara giggled.

"How could I forget? I still have the scar!" Dick sat up and lifted the right sleeve of his shirt. It showed a light scar about four inches long. Barbara sat up as well and touched the scar delicately.

"That visit to the emergency room was not fun," she chuckled.

Dick nodded in agreement and let his shirt sleeve fall. "I actually think that was a very fun Christmas," he said.

"Despite the pain," Barbara said. Dick chuckled and looked over at her. She stared back at the freshman and there was silence. Their smiled slowly faded and they simultaneously leaned forward. Dick was panicking on the inside. They were so close he could feel Barbara's breath on his mouth. _Dear god, if this isn't meant to be, please give me a sign_, he thought.  
>A knock to Dick's door interrupted the moment. The two teens stopped and pulled away from each other. <em>Damn you, Alfred<em>. Dick sighed and walked to the door. Alfred walked in.

"Sorry to interrupt, Master Richard," Alfred said, "but Master Bruce has come home and wishes me to inform you that you two have a doctor's appointment to go to."

Dick growled. That was another one of their secret codes. "Fine," he grumbled. Dick turned to Barbara who had a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Do you, uh, want me to walk you home?" he offered unsurely.

"Um, no, that's okay," Barbara said, slinging on her backpack, "I'll be alright." She walked towards the door and swept past Dick. He followed her and Alfred went on his heels. The three walked to the front door with Dick and Barbara avoiding each other's gaze.

Alfred opened the door for Barbara and bowed courteously. "Thanks Alfred," Barbara said. She took a step out the door before quickly turning around and hugging Dick quickly. He seemed startled and froze. "Bye." Barbara walked out the door.

"Bye, Barbara," Dick said, watching her walk away. Alfred closed the door and Dick took off running towards the Batcave. He muttered grumpy death threats for Bruce under his breath for interrupting his moment with Barbara. He slid down into the cave to find Bruce already standing there in his costume, foot tapping impatiently.

"Hurry up and get into costume," Bruce said shortly. He walked and hopped into the Batmobile. Dick rolled his eyes and quickly got into costume. He hopped in the Batmobile and Bruce took off for the streets of Gotham.

**_I own nothing. This belong to the property of all the DCU guys and creators.  
>AN: I hope you liked it! I plan on doing more soon, so stay tuned. I just love this couple, espcially in their Robin and Batgirl days. <em>**


	2. Damsel in Distress

Balancing

Chapter 2: Damsel in Distress

Being Robin wasn't always easy. Dick had to constantly juggle schoolwork, hero responsibilities, and his own personal life. But the hardest thing was keeping you cover when someone you care about is in danger. Dick learned that lesson the hard way when Barbara was attacked. It wasn't even by some big villain like Joker or Freeze. It was just some stupid street thugs who wanted to get to the Commissioner.

Dick sat on his bed staring down at his phone in his hands. It had been a week ever since his 'almost kiss' with Barbara and they hadn't talked or seen each other since. They skirted around each other at school and avoided any kind of contact through Bruce or Jim. It was Friday and he had just gotten home from school.

What was he thinking? He couldn't just try a kiss a girl who was a whole freaking year older than him! But the thing that interested most him was that Barbara had leaned in as well. She wanted to kiss him and that frightened Dick.

The phone suddenly vibrated, startling Dick, and Barbara's picture appeared on the screen. Dick immediately picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Dick." His heart lifted at the sound of her voice. "What's up?"

"Um, n-not much," Dick said nervously. "H-how about you?"

"Nothing," Barbara said blandly. She sounded unsure. "Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"You just did," Dick said at an attempt for humor.

Barbara let out a small laugh. It was nice for both of them to hear the other's voice again. "Do you wanna hang out in a little while?" she asked. Dick jumped and nearly dropped his phone. "My dad and I are going to see a movie in a minute but we could hang out after that."

She sounded hopeful. That made Dick smile. He switched hands holding the phone and gulped. "Yeah, I'd like that," he said,

"Sounds like fun."

"Great!" Barbara said happily. "Meet me at the park in two hours?"

"I'll be there."

Barbara smiled. "Okay, see you then. Bye."

"Bye," Dick said, also smiling. He ended the call and fell back on his bed. He sighed in contentment and couldn't get that smile off his face. He felt almost high with happiness and excitement. He was glad that they could just get over and forget about the 'almost kiss', but part of him wished that they could talk about it. He wanted to get his feelings off his chest, but he was dead scared to.

Dick pulled up the sleeve of his jacket and checked his watch: 3:15. He had two hours to prepare for his meeting with Barbara. Dick raced into his bathroom and hopped in the shower. By the time he got out, it was already 3:45. Dick threw his clothes back on and broke out the hair gel. He slicked down some of the messy hair on the sides of his head and spiked up the front. He didn't use gel often, but he made it look cool when he did.

Dick washed the gel off his hands and checked his breath. He grimaced and popped a breath mint in his mouth. He grinned in the mirror and decided his head looked presentable. Dick looked down at his wrinkled school clothes and frowned. He ran back into his room and threw off the uniform. Dick grabbed a slightly tight black T-shirt, a pair of navy blue jeans, his dark green hoodie and threw the clothes on.

The teenage boy then went back into the bathroom and got out his cologne. It smelled like forest pine, identical to the scent in his room. Dick carefully smeared some cologne on the back of his neck, under his chin, and behind his ears. He checked the time again: 4:00.

A sudden idea popped into Dick's head that had him smile. Bruce wasn't home (solo business with the Justice League) and Alfred was tidying up the Batcave. Dick ran down the hall and to the stairs. He jumped and slid down the staircase banister and flipped once he reached the end. Acrobatics always come in handy. He hit the ground running and slid into the kitchen.  
>Dick grabbed a notepad and wrote a note for Alfred on it: Going to hang at the park with Barbara. Be back before dinner—Dick<p>

Satisfied with the note, Dick nodded and stuck it on the fridge. He ran out the front door, closing it quietly behind him as he left. He walked calmly down the road and towards the local mall nearby. He knew a couple people who ran the shops and was often given discounts. Dick soon arrived at his destination and whipped out his wallet.

"Hey, it's little Richard!" the flower cart owner Peter said, noticing Dick's arrival. "How ya doing, Dick?"

"I'm pretty good, Pete," Dick said, grinning. Peter was a tall skinny guy with sandy blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He wore skinny jeans, a tight grey T-shirt and a pink apron over it. Peter's mom owned the mall and he worked at the flower cart to make a little extra cash. Peter was 19 years old and like a big brother to Dick.

Dick examined the flowers and picked out a rose. He twirled it in his fingers and took a whiff. "How much for the rose?"

"For you, it's free!" Peter said slyly.

Dick grinned. "Thanks, Pete-y," he said gratefully. Dick took out a quarter and flipped it. Peter caught it and stuffed it in his pocket, smiling.

"So, who's the rose for, lover boy?" Peter asked teasingly. "You got a date tonight?"

Dick smiled. "It's just for a friend, I swear," he said sincerely. That was true, after all. Or was it?

"And who is this 'friend'?"

"Barbara Gordon," Dick said.

Peter grinned. "No way," he said, "Dick's got a date with Barbara Gordon! Wahoo! I knew it!"

"Would you keep it down?" Dick looked around to see a few people staring at Peter's obnoxious behavior. "I told you it's not a date!"

Peter narrowed his suspicious eyes. "Right," he drawled. "Well, if you two love birds ever get together, don't say I didn't tell you so."

"Will do," Dick said sarcastically. He turned and walked away towards the park.

"Have fun!" Peter shouted, waving.

Dick rolled his eyes and walked down the streets towards the park. He and Barbara loved to play there when they were kids. They had this specific table where they would meet up at. The grass was green and there was a large jungle gym for the kids. Benches and table were scattered across the public park and there was a small sign at the entrance of the park path that read 'Gotham Public Park'.

Dick walked down the path and found their table. He sat down and checked his watch: 4:47. He only had to wait another half hour and then he'd see Barbara. Dick looked around and watched two birds hop around the branches of a tree. The leaves were gone due to the impending winter and the air was getting colder. Dick pulled his jacket more securely around himself and sighed.

The half hour didn't pass quickly. Dick soon pulled out his phone and began playing games on it until he was bored. He checked the time: 5:20. He sighed. Usually, he was the one who was late. Dick and Barbara had a time limit for when the other was late for something. If the other isn't there fifteen minutes after the given time, then the other person is allowed to leave and be mad about it.

Dick sighed and looked around. Couples were walking in the park, hand in hand. It disgusted him. He played with the rose in his hands and twirled it in his fingers. The next ten minutes passed and Dick stood from the table. He walked off, angry on the inside. It was getting colder and Dick's breath steamed in the air. He slumped his shoulders for warmth and approached the gates of Wayne Manor.

"Hey Alfred, could you open the gates for me?"

"Of course, Master Richard," Alfred said back. The gates opened and Dick walked up to the front doors. Alfred opened the doors for him and closed them as Dick walked inside. The warmth of the manor seemed to clash with Dick's bad mood.  
>"But Master Richard, I thought you and Miss Barbara—"<p>

"She stood me up," Dick said sharply. He tossed his jacket on a rack and stormed grumpily into the kitchen. He took a seat in a chair by the counter and glared at the wall.

Alfred walked into the kitchen and placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of Dick. He accepted it gratefully and took a heavy gulp, despite the burning of his throat. Alfred always put a little bit of coffee in Dick's hot cocoa whenever he was mad or upset.

"What happened?"

Dick sighed. "She told me she'd meet me at the park at 5:15 after she saw a movie with her dad. I waited 15 minutes after that time because that's our limit and no one showed up. So, I left," Dick explained.

Alfred sighed in sympathy. "Is it possible Miss Barbara could be in trouble?" he questioned.

Dick's eyes grew wider. "What do you mean?" The Batlink in his watch beeped and flashed red. Dick looked down and then up at Alfred in surprise. Did he just…predict the future? Dick raced off to the Batcave and threw on his costume. Then he spied the R-cycle out of the corner of his eye. Dick grinned despite himself and strapped on the helmet.

* * *

><p>Barbara groaned and opened her eyes. Her body was sore and she thought she felt dry blood on her forehead. Without getting up, Barbara examined her surroundings. She seemed to be in a dark warehouse. There were random boxes stacked in the shadows and a few windows that let in a small amount of sunlight. There were ropes tying Barbara's hands and feet together.<p>

Barbara couldn't remember what happened. She remembered walking to the park after the movie, and then nothing. She struggled to sit up until a voice stopped her. "Don't bother." The voice was deep but it didn't sound familiar. "You're not getting out of here."

Barbara heard heavy footsteps coming closer to her. She felt panic rise into her throat and sweat bead her forehead. A man in a hood bent over Barbara and grinned. His sharp teeth glinted in the faint light. He took out a crowbar and patted it with his hand. Barbara whimpered in fear. Five more thugs walked up behind the first and grinned cruelly. "It's time we have some fun, boys."

"I doubt you'll have such fun in jail, dirtbags!"

The thugs looked up at the glasses warehouse ceiling to see a panel open and Robin the Boy Wonder glaring down at them. He took out a birdarang and threw it. It hit a stunned thug in the face and knocked him down. Robin leapt from the ceiling and jumped fist first down onto a thug. The thug fell to the floor and Robin punched him in the jaw.  
>The other thugs rushed forward, whipping out crowbars and pipes. A big thug swung at Robin, but the hero flipped back and kicked another thug in the face as he did so. The Boy Wonder ran forward and kicked another thug to the ground. He growled and punched another thug in the face.<p>

The thugs all stood and glared at the teenage vigilante. They charged and attacked. Robin dodged a swing from a crowbar and yanked a pipe out of another's grasp. He swung and knocked one thug to the ground. Robin snarled and nailed another thug in the face.

"And I was expecting Penguin or Killer Moth," Robin said darkly. "You amateurs have let me down. This should be easy, though."

The head thug snarled. "You're not the only one who's disappointed, kid," he spat. "Where's Batman?"

Robin gave a little evil grin. "He decided to treat me with a little solo mission," he lied easily. "Wasn't that nice of him?"

The thug snarled and charged at Robin. The teenager slid underneath his legs and kicked him in the batteries. The criminal cringed and fell to the floor. Robin handcuffed him quickly and turned to face the other thugs. He took out his bo staff and charged. There were only four thugs left and one of them was down with one swing. Robin fought with an animalistic ferocity that was driven by anger.

No one kidnapped Barbara. No one.

Robin kicked the third thug down and swung him to the side with his staff. He punched the fourth across the face. Ditching the staff, Robin tackled the fifth thug to the ground and punched him. Then he punched him again. Pretty soon, there was blood. The sight of red snapped Robin from his rage.

Barbara had freed herself from her bonds during the fight and rushed to Robin's side. "Stop!" she said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and nearly burst into tears. Robin shut his eyes tight, held back the tears, and stood. Barbara stood with him and he noticed the blood on her forehead.

Robin cautiously touched the gash on her forehead. He frowned and pushed some stray hair from her face.

"Thank you," Barbara said gratefully.

Robin gave a small smile. He was just happy to see that she was alive. Dick had been scared to death at what he might find in the warehouse. "Just doing my job, Miss Gordon."

Barbara took a small step forward. Dick panicked, just like the first time. He remained completely still as Barbara leaned in. Their lips gently brushed against each other until Barbara pulled away.

The large warehouse doors burst open and the Commissioner and police barged in. "Barbara!" Jim Gordon said, dropping his gun. He ran forward and grabbed his daughter in a tight embrace. Robin walked forward with a solemn look in his eyes behind his mask.

"Your daughter's alright, sir," the Boy Wonder said in a low voice. "These thugs won't be waking up any time soon."

"Well done, son" Jim said. He ushered Barbara off to the police officers and bent down at eye level to Robin. "Where's Batman?" he whispered.

"Batman left for a mission with the Justice League, sir," Robin said, standing up a little straighter. He had always taken pride in knowing any Justice League information, no matter how small.

Jim nodded and looked back at his daughter. A medic was examining her head. Jim sighed. "Thank you, once again, for saving my daughter," he said, dead-serious. Robin nodded like an obedient soldier and Jim patted him on the shoulder. He and Barbara walked out of the warehouse and got into a cop car. Robin walked out just as they began to drive away and he watched them go.

Robin sighed and took out his grapple. He fired it and swung off into the night. Barbara turned around in her seat and watched as the Boy Wonder disappeared in the darkness.

_**AN: So, how did you like the second chapter? I hope you liked it. I had a lot of fun writing it and I will do more. Please leave a review letting me know what you thought. I would really enjoy some feedback. Don't worry, Dick and Barbara will get together…or will they? You'll have to keep reading to find out!**_


	3. Forgiven, Not Forgotten

_**In honor of my 14**__**th**__** review, I give to you Chapter 3!**_

Balancing

Chapter 3: Forgiven, Not Forgotten

The kiss that Barbara had given him still burned on his lips. He could still feel it like it was branded on his mouth. He pondered the kiss several times over the next few days. He had been Robin, not Dick then. Part of the kiss angered him. Dick and Barbara had nearly kissed not a week before her kidnapping, and on the day of their meeting at the park, she kissed Robin. That hurt Dick slightly.

Of course, Dick had come to understand in time. Barbara had a crush on Robin and she gave him a kiss as thanks for possibly saving her life. It shouldn't have been a big deal. Heck, it barely even felt like a kiss. Well, Dick spent a lot of time in his room the next day. But every hour, he would go into the Batcave just to check and see that there were no alerts to any 'Barbara Gordon' threats. Dick was almost eager for the team to be sent off on some crazy mission. He knew Wally would be able to cheer him up.

Dick decided that after spending a few hours in his room that maybe he should hit the gym. The teenager walked through the halls of Wayne Manor and felt the gloom of the house bring his mood down. Most of the walls were black and there were strange and dark paintings hung every here and there. Dick liked going to the gym, though.

It was bright with the lights on and the walls were white. The floor was slip-proof for safety purposes. There were acrobat bars in the middle of the room. Weights and exercise machines were pushed off to the sides of the room. But what Dick loved most was the ping pong table.

Dick entered the gym and turned the lights on. He squinted for a moment in the bright light before his eyes adjusted. He took his jacket off and tossed it on the bench press. Cracking his knuckles, Dick walked over to the pull-ups bar. He did a few quick stretches before jumping up to grab the bar.

Upper body strength came naturally to Dick. Being an acrobat had forced that upon him. But Dick didn't mind. He pulled up once, then twice, and got into a rhythm. He forced his legs to remain immobile as he hit double digits. Dick played his favorite song in his head and followed the beat.

Small beads of sweat dotted his forehead as he hit the twenties. His thoughts drifted to Barbara and he used more strength. The thought that she actually kissed Robin was surprising and infuriating to him at the same time. But maybe their 'almost kiss' was nothing to her. If that was the case, Dick would consider cutting himself off from Barbara for a while.

Dick hit forty and let go. He stumbled, but regained his balance and walked over to the ping pong table. He had it pushed up against the wall so he could play by himself. Bruce never really liked to play games. Dick grabbed a paddle and picked up the ball. He tossed the ball and swung.

The thugs who kidnapped Barbara were in jail. Dick was curious about their pointed teeth and large size. So, the Arkham investigators did a little research and found out that they had been injected with Venom at the time. No one had any idea how they got the drug, but Dick was going to find out. Oddly enough, the thugs didn't seem strong and wild like Bane. Perhaps they didn't know how to use the Venom like the criminal did, Dick didn't know.

The ping pong ball hit the wall and came shooting back. Dick swung with his might and sent the ball flying. Dick got into a rhythm and hopped on his feet. Like crime fighting, he liked to be light on his feet while playing ping pong. He swung with all his might and the ball bounced back.

"Hyah!" Dick grunted as he hit the ball again. He picked up a faster pace and began to pant. He swung with strength. Dick often found that no matter what you were doing, fighting, running, exercising, or even just playing ping pong, anger would fuel you to push yourself harder. He used that emotion to make himself stronger like when he was saving Barbara. He had seen Bruce use anger to fight before and it scared him. And he was sure that if he ever saw himself fighting with so much anger, he'd be terrified.

"Master Richard, you have a visitor here to see you."

Dick frowned, but didn't take his eyes off the ball. "What?" He swung at the ball again.

"Hi, Dick," Barbara said, stepping into the room.

Dick looked over. "Barbara?" he asked in astonishment. The ball, of course, came back and hit Dick in the eye. "Ow!"

Dick dropped the paddle and covered his injured eye with his palm. His eye hurt. Barbara, stunned and confused, rushed to Dick and examined his eye. Alfred had already left to give the two teens some space.

"Ah," Dick inhaled sharply through his teeth and leaned on the table. Barbara gently pried open his tightly shut eye. The eye was red and watery.

"Only you could manage to hurt yourself playing a game as tame as ping pong," Barbara chuckled. Dick was still frozen, saying nothing, as he leaned on the ping pong table for support. He breathed slowly and cautiously. Barbara still had her hand placed gently on his face and the other on the table. She was a bit too close for Dick's comfort and he nudged back against the table a little.

Barbara seemed to notice their close proximity and stepped back awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

Dick nodded. He stood up and cracked his neck. "Yeah, I'm alright," he sighed. Dick rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, uh, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Barbara shrugged. "I just thought I's surprise you with a visit," she said almost…shyly.

"You okay?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Barbara said. "I'm sorry about not being at the park when you were expecting me," she blurted out.

Dick stared. He had been so focused on the kiss that he'd almost forgotten about the park. She was apologizing for being kidnapped. He smiled. "You're apologizing for being kidnapped?"

"You're not mad?"

Dick laughed out loud. "Mad?" he asked. "I was scared to death. Luckily, your Boy Wonder was there to save you."

Barbara punched his arm lightly and laughed. She pushed back some hair from her face. Then Dick noticed the bump she had. He gasped quietly and pushed some more hair behind her ear. "Ouch," he whispered examining the bump.

"It's nothing," Barbara insisted, pushing Dick's hand away. He still frowned and gazed at the bump in worry. "You worry too much," she said, shaking her head.

Dick grinned. "I always worry about you, Babs," he said slyly.

Barbara blushed and Dick, realizing what he had just said, did as well. They both looked awkwardly down at the floor. Dick rubbed his feet together and ran his hand through his hair.

"Have you ever noticed that you run your hands through your hair when you're nervous?"

Dick 'play' glared. "You _play_ with your hair when you're nervous," he countered. Barbara suddenly noticed her fingers absentmindedly twirling her hair and pulled them down. Dick chuckled.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Dick cracked his neck. "Yeah," he sighed, "I'll be fine. Are _we_ okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

Dick grinned. "How about we renew our meeting at the park?" he offered.

Smiling, Barbara said, "Sounds like a plan."

Together, they walked out of the manor, Dick letting Alfred know where they were going, and headed towards the park. They talked about nothing and everything that they could laugh about. But Dick could still feel something almost like an invisible wall between them. It prevented him from laughing too hard or smiling too wide. The bump on her forehead kept drawing his attention.

The two finally reached the park where they sat down at their table. Dick remembered that he had sat there only a couple of days ago when he was waiting.

"How long did you wait for me?"

Dick looked up. He shrugged. "Only about a half hour," he said dismissively.

Barbara felt guilty. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Again with the whole 'kidnapping' thing," Dick joked. He pulled his left leg up onto the bench and placed his elbow on his knee. "I get it, Babs. It wasn't your fault."

"I still should've—"

"Done something?" Dick challenged. "What could you have done?" He leaned his head in his hand and stared lazily across  
>at Barbara. He didn't seem mad, but rather innocently questioning.<p>

Barbara sighed. "How is it that you managed to outsmart me?" she asked in defeat.

Dick grinned. "I've been getting smarter, Barbara," he warned. "Better watch out, smarty-pants."

"Is that a threat?"

"If you play your cards right." Dick wiggled his eyebrows and winked.

Barbara scoffed and shoved his shoulder. "You are too cocky for your own good, Grayson," she said, shaking her head.

Dick sighed and leaned back on the bench, folding his hands behind his head. "Being cocky is one of my most appealing traits."

"But being a bad flirt is one of your more disgusting qualities," Barbara countered.

"Hey!" Dick said, sitting up straight. "I don't flirt!"

"No, you just try to." Barbara duplicated her wiggling eyebrows in mock.

Dick smirked and shook his head. "You're no better, Ms. Gordon," he quipped. "I think I would know."

"Are you suggesting that I flirt with you?"

"Only when you have the opportunity to," Dick snapped, smiling. "I'm just too charming to resist."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't know the word charming if it bit you in the—"

Dick's cell phone interrupted whatever Barbara was going to say. Dick smirked, but frowned when he saw who was calling. "What is it, Bruce?"

Barbara's smile melted off her face. Whenever Bruce called, Dick had to whisk off to some fancy party or ball.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. Bye." Dick snapped his phone off and stuffed it back in his pocket. "I gotta go," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I'm—"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," Barbara ordered, smiling. She hit his shoulder lightly and playfully. "Get going, Grayson."

Dick smiled and ran off. No matter where he had to run off to, Barbara was always on his mind.

* * *

><p>"Recognized: Robin B01."<p>

The Boy Wonder skidded into the Cave and looked up at the team. "I'm here," he panted.

Wally, already in his Kid Flash uniform, raised an eyebrow at him. "Where have you been?" he asked, holding his arms up.

"Sorry," Robin snapped, stepping up to him. "I wasn't at home when I got the call."

"Then, what were you—?"

"Kid Flash," Aqualad cutoff, "this is not the time. We have a mission to focus on."

The stubborn speedster rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" Miss Martian asked him.

Superboy walked up next to her. "He's mad because he and Artemis were—"

"Arguing!" Kid Flash said, cutting Superboy off. Superboy gave him an annoyed yet confused glare.

Artemis took that moment to walk into the room. "What's up?" she asked, standing next to Robin.

Batman narrowed his eyes. A holographic screen popped up next to him and he indicated to the map on it. "We received a call earlier today stating that the Joker would be threatening Gotham City at exactly 8:15 tonight," he said stonily.

"Why that exact time?" Kid Flash asked.

"Does it matter?" Artemis asked.

Batman pulled up a picture of The Joker on the holographic computer. "He claims that was the exact time he committed his first crime and that this one would be his biggest one yet," Batman explained. "He also claimed that he has bombs planted all over the city and will set them off at 8:15."

Robin's eyes widened. He immediately thought of Barbara.

Artemis glared at The Joker's picture. She thought of her mother, alone in their apartment. She cracked her knuckles.

"It's your job to intercept the Joker's plan and deactivate the bombs, if any," Batman ordered.

The Team nodded in response. Aqualad turned to face the others. "Miss Martian, prepare the bio ship," he ordered.

She nodded and flew off towards the hangar.

Aqualad then looked at Robin. "Robin," the Atlantean said, "I feel it is best that you lead us on this mission." The Boy Wonder stared. "You know Gotham and The Joker better than any of us. You would serve as the best leader tonight."

Robin grinned. "It'll be my pleasure."

* * *

><p>The Team sat in the bio ship as they flew towards Gotham. Robin glared out the windshield. Artemis did the same. Kid Flash noticed.<p>

"What's up with you two?" he asked.

The two teens looked up at him. "Nothing," they said simultaneously.

Kid Flash shrugged them off and shook his head.

"Approaching Gotham," Miss Martian said.

Robin stood from his seat as the ship landed. The team walked out into a dark alley and looked around.

"Nice place you live here," Superboy said. A rat ran by his foot and he took a step back.

Robin looked down at his holographic computer. "Scanner says Joker's at the top of Wayne Enterprise Tower," he said.

"What's that?" Kid Flash asked.

Robin looked up. "The tallest building in Gotham," he said, looking up at it. He fired off a grapple line. "Move out!" he ordered. Robin swung towards the building.

"You heard him," Aqualad said. He took off running, Kid Flash sped off, Miss Martian flew after them, Artemis followed Aqualad, and Superboy bounded into the air.

Robin landed on the top of a building and stared up at the tower. He could hear insane laughter and gunshots. He fired off another line and it hooked on the top of the tower.

"Wait, Rob!" Kid Flash said from the street. The team stared as he swung off. "Well," Kid Flash said, sweeping Artemis off her feet and carrying her bridal style, "time to run." He sped off towards the tower.

"Hey, put me down!" Miss Martian heard Artemis say before out of earshot. She smiled and flew off after Robin. Superboy and Aqualad exchanged glances. The Boy of Steel grabbed the Atlantean and jumped up to the top of the building.

Joker laughed and shot down another cop. He stood on the top of Wayne Tower, four pillars around him supporting the stone roof overhead. "Oh, I love redecorating this city," he sighed. "It'd be so much better if Batsy were here to see it!" He let out another round of laughter and whipped out an AK-47. Then, a birdarang struck the gun, hummed, and blew up. "Agh!" Joker cried out as he fell back.

"Whatsa matter, Joker?" Robin asked. "You seem off your game today."

"Boy Wonder!" Joker said, standing and holding his arms out welcomingly. "You should've told me you were coming over. I would've gotten you a present." He took out a knife and grinned maliciously. "Luckily, I always come _prepared_."  
>Robin took out his Eskrima sticks. They charged at each other and collided.<p>

Kid Flash ran up the side of the building, Artemis holding onto him with all of her might, and he skidded to a stop on the top. He set her down and said, "Hope you enjoyed the ride!" before zooming off. Artemis rolled her eyes and shot down a Joker goon. Miss Martian deflected gun shots to protect her. Superboy and Aqualad hopped into the scene. Aqualad immediately whipped out his water-bearers and charged forward. Superboy punched down three goons at once.

Robin dodged a slash from Joker and kicked him in the face. The villain stumbled backwards and slipped off the edge of the building. His hand caught the edge and he held on. Robin narrowed his eyes and rolled off to a Joker computer. He plugged his glove in and pulled up his holographic computer. "Guys!" Robin called. The Team gathered behind him. "Joker's got three huge bombs planted in the city," the Boy Wonder said. "KF, Artemis, you take the one at the library."

"You got it, Rob," Kid Flash said. He scooped Artemis up in his arms and ran down the building.

"Superboy, Miss Martian, you two deactivate the one at the park."

"Roger that," Miss Martian said. She and Superboy jumped off the side of the building.

"Aqualad, can you handle the one at the joke shop?"

"You can count on me, Robin," Aqualad promised. He hopped off the building and towards the joke shop.

The Joker climbed back onto the building and glared up at Robin. "I grow tired of some of our games, birdie," he panted.

Robin turned towards him and picked his Eskrima sticks back up. He ran forward and aimed a kick at Joker's face. The villain rolled to the side and to his feet. He whipped his knife back out and stabbed. It grazed Robin's ribs. Robin punched Joker in the face and kicked him back. He slammed back into a pillar, cracking the stone, and he crumpled to the ground. Robin panted and waited.

"You know, birdie," Joker said weakly, sitting up, "I was pretty impressed with how you saved the Commissioner's daughter the other day." He grinned up at Robin. "I've never seen you fight like that before. You saved the girl. Let's see if you can save her father." He pulled out a small remote and pressed a button on it. A screen popped up next to the Joker and showed Jim Gordon, unconscious, and tied up next to a bomb.

Robin glared. He grabbed Joker by the collar and held him up. "Where is he?" he demanded.

Joker laughed. "Oh bird boy, what's the fun in that?" he questioned. Robin snarled and threw him back against the pillar. He examined the screen more closely and saw the words 'Town Hall' written on a building behind Gordon. He stood and looked down at the Joker.

Robin dived off the side of the building, leaving an unconscious Joker tied to a pillar. He fired a grapple line and swung towards Town Hall. He released the line, flipped, and landed on the top of a building. He scanned the area for Town Hall. Then, Robin took off running to his left, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Kid Flash set Artemis down when he reached the library. She scoffed and brushed herself off. "Is that really necessary?" she asked in exasperation.

"If we're gonna get to where we need to go fast, then yes," Kid Flash responded. He ran into the building and Artemis followed. The place seemed empty and quiet. "Come on," Kid Flash said. He walked forward cautiously. Artemis held her bow at the ready. Kid Flash peered into the darkness and heard a faint noise. "I think I hear something," he said, walking towards the back of the building. "It sounds like…beeping."

Artemis followed on his heels and listened closely. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Get down!" she shouted, grabbing Kid Flash and jumping to the ground. The two tumbled as a small explosion knocked them backwards. Goons knocked over an aisle of bookcases and shot at them. The two rolled behind a desk.

"_Robin!_" Kid Flash shouted telepathically. Artemis quickly stood and fired a couple of shots. "_It's a trap! I don't even think there are any bombs!_"

"_There's one._" Robin leapt into the air and crashed through the domed glass ceiling of Town Hall and rolled to the floor.

"Ah, it's the bird boy," Black Mask said, leaning next to the bomb. "How've you been?"

"Let the commissioner go," Robin ordered. He clenched his fists and Jim shifted in his unconscious state. His mouth was covered with white cloth and he stood, tied to the bomb. It ticked away to 8:15.

"Robin, you really haven't learned anything from your years in this business, have you?" Black Mask took out the trigger. "You don't get anything just by asking for it."

Robin pulled his Eskrima sticks back out. "How about I make you a deal?" he offered. "You fight me and if I win, I take Gordon and you go back to jail. If you win, you keep Gordon and take me as your prisoner, too."

Black Mask grinned evilly. "You're good at this game, bird boy," he chuckled. He closed the trigger and put it back in his pocket. "We have a deal." He took out two long knives and ran forward. Robin blocked two blows with his sticks and kicked back. They went back and forth like that for a long time. Five minutes later, Robin was cut in several places and Black Mask was bruised all over. The bomb had two minutes before it went off.

Kid Flash pulled his goggles down and zoomed off toward the goons. He knocked a couple down and Artemis shot down one attempting to sneak up behind him. He grinned. "Thanks," Kid Flash said.

"Move!" Artemis shouted. He zoomed off and Artemis shot down a goon jumping in the air. A goon on the back who had been crushed by a falling bookcase earlier stumbled to his feet and raised his AK-47. Kid Flash noticed this, picked Artemis up, and zoomed her off to the safety behind a metal desk.

Artemis scoffed and squirmed out his hold. "Again with the picking up thing!" she snapped.

"You're welcome!" Kid Flash snapped. They got in each other's faces but pulled back when their desk was hit with several gunshots. Kid Flash ran off and around the goon. He was the only one left. He circled around him, drawing his fire away from Artemis.

Artemis notched another arrow from behind the desk when she heard a cry of pain. She gasped, stood, and saw Kid Flash on the ground, holding his right side. Artemis kicked the desk and sent it flying into the goon. It hit him and trapped him underneath it. Artemis ran to Kid Flash's side and knelt over him.

"Wally," she gasped. Kid Flash inhaled sharply through his teeth, his eyes closed. His hands covered a spot near the bottom of his rib cage. Artemis gently tried to pry his hands from the injury. "Wally, let me see it," she pleaded. "You're gonna be okay."

Kid Flash opened his eyes and looked up at Artemis' worried face. "Hey, Artemis," she looked up at the sound of his weak voice, "you know what sucks about Kevlar?" Artemis paled. "It doesn't prevent bones from breaking." Kid Flash moved his hands to reveal his unscathed suit.

Artemis slapped Kid Flash across the face with all her might before scooping him up in a bone-crushing hug. Kid Flash winced in pain in both his ribs and face, but he smiled. He placed his left hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her hair. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Baywatch."

Robin dodged another swing from Black Mask's knife. He wouldn't be able to keep that up forever. Then, a black and yellow figure crashed through the roof, smashing more glass and landed on top of the bomb.

Robin looked up. His first thought was 'Batman?' but he looked closer and saw the figure was female. She wore a black cowl, had a mostly black suit, with yellow boots, gloves, utility belt, and bat insignia on her chest. The inside of her cape was yellow and the outside was black. Her hair was a familiar red color.

"Who are you?" Black Mask demanded, holding his left knife up threateningly.

The figure raised her head and smiled. "My name's Batgirl," she said. She took a batarang from her belt and threw it. It hit Black Mask's left hand and slapped the knife away. Robin took this moment of surprise to kick the other knife away and punch the villain unconscious.

Ignoring Batgirl, Robin ran off to the bomb. Batgirl jumped down next to him.

"Can you stop it?" she asked.

Robin took out a pair of pliers and pried open the control panel. The timer said there was only 50 seconds left. "I'm almost positive," he said. He cut a yellow wire and the bomb beeped.

"'Almost' isn't exactly reassuring," Batgirl quipped.

Robin scoffed, losing his focus. "Just untie the commissioner and get him out of here," he ordered. "I got the bomb."

Batgirl raised an eyebrow. "Who says that I should listen to you?" she asked.

The Boy Wonder cut an orange wire. He was losing his patience. "Well, since you don't seem to have much faith in my 'deactivating bomb' skills, it seems like the smart thing to do, now go!" he snapped. Batgirl accepted his leadership and cut the commissioner free with her batarang. She grabbed his limp body and dragged him out of the building. Robin cut a green wire as the timer hit 10 seconds. He frantically pressed a red button in the back of the panel and the bomb stopped beeping. 1 second left.

Robin sighed and grabbed Black Mask. He dragged the unconscious criminal out of the building and to the cops. A few cops took Black Mask from him. They handcuffed him and shoved him into the back of a cop car. Robin looked over at Batgirl. She was handing over the commissioner to other cops.

Robin walked towards her. She looked up as he approached and smiled. "Is the bomb deactivated?"

"Dead as a doornail." Robin looked over at the still unconscious commissioner. "Nice work," he said grudgingly.

Batgirl grinned. "Glad I could help, Boy Wonder," she said.

Robin wanted to smile back, but he knew Bruce wouldn't be happy. A new vigilante in the city could mean trouble for everyone. He didn't even know if this 'Batgirl' could handle herself. Sure, she'd thrown a simple batarang and distracted Black Mask for him. That was great, but it was one lucky shot. Robin didn't know what to do.

Artemis and Wally approached him. Wally had his left arm around Artemis' shoulder and he looked like he was in pain.  
>Artemis supported him and it looked like the two were talking…and not arguing.<p>

Robin narrowed his suspicious eyes and approached them. "Everything okay here?" he asked.

"His right rib cage is broken," Artemis said. "The idiot was hit with an AK-47."

"I was trying to draw his fire away from you," Kid Flash said weakly. He grinned down at Robin. "Thanks for upgrading my suit, Rob."

Robin smiled. "Anytime, KF," he said. The two bumped knuckles and smiled.

Artemis scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Boys," she grumbled under her breath.

Kid Flash grinned. "Can't live with us," he winced, "can't live without us."

"Don't make me drop you," Artemis threatened with narrowed eyes. Kid Flash simply smiled in response and winked.

Batgirl smiled as she approached the group. "So, what's next?" she asked.

Kid Flash perked up as he saw her. "Hello, beautiful," he said slyly. "I don't believe we've met. What's your name?" Artemis dropped him on the spot. "Ow!"

Robin burst into laughter and doubled over. Batgirl smiled as she looked sideways at him. Artemis folded her arms and glared down at Kid Flash. Then, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Aqualad all walked up to the group. Superboy had bullet holes in his shirt and the bottoms of his jeans. The other two looked unscathed.

Aqualad narrowed his eyes at Batgirl. "Who is—?"

"Guys," Robin said, "meet Batgirl, apparently, a Gotham vigilante."

"Hi," Batgirl said, smiling and waving.

Aqualad grabbed Robin by the arm and pulled him aside. "Were you aware of her role before today?" he asked.

"No," Robin said. He watched Batgirl help Artemis get Kid Flash to his feet. His eyes were narrowed. "And Batman won't be happy when he finds out."

"What do you suggest we do with her?"

"…I don't know." Robin looked back up at Aqualad.

Aqualad followed his gaze. "For now, let us just be satisfied with the victory we had today." He could tell that there was something between Robin and Batgirl, but he wouldn't push on it. Not yet, at least.

The two walked back to the group. Miss Martian and Batgirl were talking like two normal teenage girls, Superboy was watching them, and Kid Flash was arguing with Artemis.

Robin contacted the Cave. "Red Tornado, mission secure. We're heading back."

"Very well," Red Tornado responded in his mechanical voice.

Robin looked over the team, plus Batgirl, and sighed. A cold, foreshadowing wind blew through Gotham as though it were trying to warn him of something. Robin shook off the feeling and walked back to the bio ship.

_**AN: There you have it. Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. I've been busy working on a new superhero seires called 'Blackbird Chronicles' that I will be publishing in a few weeks. It's about Tim Drake following in his mentor's footsteps and finding himself a sidekick of his own. I will try to get new chapters up every Saturday.**_


	4. Two Sides to Every Story

_**AN: I know I said I would update every Saturday, but I've been busy. I'm sorry, but I hope this chapter that I'm especially proud of makes up for it. So, I give you chapter 4!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing! The characters and settings belong to DC, and I only create plots for them.**_

Balancing

Chapter 4: Two Sides to Every Story

Robin sat crouched on a gargoyle of one of Gotham's many tall buildings. He stared down at the city with narrowed eyes, waiting for some sort of chaos to happen. Cars zoomed left and right on the streets and pedestrians shuffled on the sidewalks.

"Having fun?"

Robin pulled a Batman and didn't even have to look to see who it was. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Batgirl," he said curtly. "You shouldn't be out here."

Batgirl, standing on the ledge, leaned against the building wall. "Why should I let you and the old Bat have all the fun?" She plopped down on the ledge and scooted closer to Robin.

"It's not safe," Robin said bluntly. "It's hard enough for me to keep Batman from finding out about you. You're only making it harder by being out here on patrol." He kept his hard gaze on the city.

Batgirl pouted. "Oh, come on, Boy Wonder," she said, "where's the fun in all that?"

"No fun," Robin said. He stood from the ledge and took out his grapple gun. "You should get home." He fired the line and swung off. He tucked and rolled on top of a building and began walking.

"You don't have time for fun?"

Robin didn't jump. He ignored Batgirl as he walked past where she stood by the chimney.

Batgirl scoffed. "That's depressing," she said, walking after him. "Maybe we could have some fun of our own."

Robin rolled his eyes. _Man, Babs really is a bad flirt_, Dick thought in his mind. "Go home," he ordered in his best 'Batman' voice. A tug on his cape stopped him from walking. Robin glared at Batgirl and pulled his cape from her grasp. He continued walking and Batgirl followed.

"What's wrong with you, pixie boots?" Batgirl asked. "I never thought that the Boy Wonder would ever be so stoic and serious."

"My name is Robin." He stopped at the edge of the rooftop. "And you should get home before it gets past your curfew."  
>He leapt off the side of the building with a flourish of his cape and disappeared into the night.<p>

Dick Grayson placed his history book in his locker and slammed it shut.

"Hey, Dick," Barbara said, appearing next to him, leaning on the locker next to his. She flashed him a smile as bright as the sun. Her red hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Dick loved it when she did that.

Dick pulled a smile. "Hey, Barbara." He slung his backpack on and faced her. "What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to catch a movie after school today."

Dick cocked an eyebrow. "You mean you don't have other plans?" he asked knowingly.

Barbara narrowed her confused eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Dick said dismissively. He scratched his head and pretended to think. "Uh, I'm pretty sure that I'm free after school. What movie do you wanna see?"

Barbara smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I was thinking about—"

Just then, a couple of rowdy teenage guys burst into the hall. There were about 5 of them, all of them wearing leather  
>jackets. They shoved each other around and laughed.<p>

Dick rolled his eyes at them. "You were saying?" he said to Barbara. A crushed can hit the back of his head. Dick growled under his breath and turned to where the gang boys were. Barbara grabbed his arm before he could move.

The gang boys laughed and pointed. "Hey, look!" the tallest and buffest one said. "It's the freshman!" He and the rest of his gang strutted towards Dick and Barbara. "What's up, Grayson?" he asked, looking down at Dick.

Barbara held Dick's struggling arm tightly and answered before he could. "What do you want, Houston?"

Houston grinned, revealing yellow and crooked teeth. "For you to go out on a date with me after school," he said in a way that was probably supposed to be suave. "How 'bout it, sweet cheeks?"

"_Sorry_," Dick said through gritted teeth, "but she's got other plans."

"Oh, yeah?" Houston said mockingly. "What, with you? Come on, Gordon. Why waste your time with a shrimp like Grayson when you could date a senior like me?" He leaned on the lockers and cocked an eyebrow.

"Grade doesn't matter to me," Barbara snapped. "Even so, brain-wise, Dick still has you beat."

Houston's smile grew. "I like a girl with spunk," he said. He grabbed Dick's arm and threw him aside. He approached Barbara and came close.

Dick was grabbed by two other guys by the arms and dragged back. He struggled and kicked, but couldn't break free. Houston had Barbara by the arms and was holding onto her. She struggled and tried to pull away. Dick snarled and yanked his arms in, bashing the two guys' heads together. They crumpled to the ground and Dick jumped over their bodies. He ducked under the swing of the third guy and elbowed him in the gut. He slid under the fourth guy's legs and kicked him in the crotch. Dick leapt at Houston, but he was already on the ground, cradling his crotch.

Barbara was standing in a fighting stance with her fist raised and her foot loosely planted to the ground. She fixed her hair and stood up straight. "Man, that was annoying!"

Dick grinned. One of the many things he loved about Barbara: she could kick some real butt when she needed to. "Are you okay?" Dick asked, running up to her.

"I'm fine," Barbara said. She casually smiled at Dick as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "So, do you wanna meet at the theatre around 4?"

Dick slung his backpack back onto his shoulder and the two began walking. "Sure."

Robin punched a thug down. He watched Batman throw a limp body into another thug. They stood in the street around 11 o'clock. Batman and Robin were intercepting a drug handoff. Two gangs attacked them at once. Robin dodged a punch from a man and kicked him in the gut. He noticed the driver of the drug truck start the ignition. He grabbed a birdarang from his utility belt and threw it at the truck's back tire.

The explosive hummed and blew up, blasting the back of the truck and flipping it over. The driver fell from the broken window and remained limp on the ground.

Batman simultaneously kneed a thug in the gut and punched another in the face. He swept down a man by the feet and flip kicked another. He looked up and saw a dark, caped figure tackling one of the drug dealers.

Robin saw this and grabbed three smoke pellets from his belt. He ran by the figure and threw them down, hiding them from view. Robin grabbed the figure and pulled them behind a large truck, both of them kneeling on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Batgirl huffed in exasperation and slapped Robin's hand from her arm. "I'm trying to help!" she said.

"Well, stop," Robin ordered. "Go home. We've got this covered."

"Yeah," Batgirl snapped, "I can see that through that bruise on your cheek."

Robin rubbed the swelling on his face and glared. "Fair point," he admitted, "but you could get worse than this if you stay. Get out of here before you get hurt." He pulled out his dual Eskrima sticks and stood.

Batgirl grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Why is it so hard for you to accept my help?" she asked.

Robin pulled his arm from her hold and faced her. "I'm not the one who's denying it." He jumped onto the top of the truck. "Batman won't accept you." The Boy Wonder leapt from the top of the truck and into battle.

Dick ducked to avoid a dodge ball. He, along with his PE class, stood in the gym on the right side of the court. The dark bruise on his left cheek was covered up with makeup. Another class stood on the other side, grinning menacingly with dodge balls in their hands. There were only 5 people left in Dick's team and 20 left on the other team. He ducked, dodged, and skirted out of the way while three other people on his team were taken out.

The other two on Dick's team scrambled around. They were light on their feet, but frantic. Two guys threw balls and nailed them.

Dick sighed and flipped some hair from his face. He was tired and sweaty. The other team grinned and raised their balls.

Houston, held his hand up, saying without speaking, 'This one is mine.' He threw the ball, it curved, and hit Dick right smack in the face.

Then, Dick was in the nurse's office, Barbara inspecting his cheek. "Ouch," she said.

Dick was sitting on the little nurse bed with the paper on top. He'd changed out of his PE clothes and into his school uniform in the bathroom. That'd given him a chance to wipe the makeup off. Barbara had given him an ice pack and he had it gingerly pressed to his face.

"You look like someone punched you in the face, Dick" Barbara said. Dick chuckled awkwardly and winced when Barbara gently touched the bruise. "Houston didn't punch you, did he?" she asked suddenly.

Dick shook his head. "No." _But, that's pretty close_, he thought to himself. "Have I ever told you how thankful I am that you help out in the office?" he asked.

Barbara snickered. "You're lucky it's me and not Vicky Gilmore," she laughed.

Dick grimaced. "No kidding," he said, shivering at the thought. Vicky Gilmore was a dorky, obsessive girl who'd had a crush on Dick since kindergarten. It was nothing if not creepy.

"I can't believe that bruise came from a dodge ball," Barbara said.

Dick shrugged. "Well, you know," he said, "Houston's got an arm. Besides, it was worth taking the shot since he got a detention."

Barbara scoffed in amusement. "I'm starting to think that you set this whole thing up."

"What thing?" Dick raised a cocky eyebrow.

"Oh, you know," Barbara said conversationally, "the dodge ball, the smack in the face, Houston's detention, and then the nurse's office to see me."

Dick half smiled. "Well, someone's got a big sense of their own importance," he said.

"One picks it up after they spend too much time with you," Barbara said.

"I've never heard you complain about spending time with me."

"Not like I have much of a choice."

"And yet, you're still the one who invited me to come over to your house after school."

"Hey," Barbara took the ice pack away, "you told me that you didn't understand your history homework. I offered to  
>help you with it over at my house."<p>

"I call study date!" Dick said loudly.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and this 'calling' thing? Not to mention the whole 'whelmed' thing."

Dick laughed. "You know me too well, Babs," he said. _If only I knew you_, he thought slightly bitterly in his mind. "Even if you don't completely understand me…"

"I don't think anyone will ever completely understand you, Grayson."

"Likewise, Gordon."

The two grinned at each other.

Dick broke the gaze and picked up his backpack. "Well," he said, clearing his throat, "it's been fun, but I'm late for English." He quickly grabbed his backpack and ran out of the nurse's office. He stopped at the door of the office and turned. "I'm looking forward to our study date!" he called, winking.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Get going, Grayson!"

Dick cackled and ran out the door.

The team sat in the bio ship. They were flying towards Central City to infiltrate Captain Cold. Kid Flash was extra excited to be able to work with both the Team and his mentor. He was practically vibrating in his seat.

Robin gritted his teeth as the humming grew louder. "Would you cut it out, KF?" he asked irritably.

Kid Flash froze in place. "What's your problem, Rob?" he demanded. "You've been jerky for weeks."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Robin sunk a little in his chair and stared out the window.

Kid Flash opened his mouth again, but Artemis and Aqualad shot him looks that said 'Let it go', Artemis' a little more harsh than the latter's.

"Arriving at Central City," Miss Martian announced.

Robin unbuckled and hopped out of the bio ship. He landed on the ground with a flourish of his cape. The rest of the Team landed behind him. Robin's eyes scanned the city.

Kid Flash took a deep breath. "Ah, the sweet smell of Central City," he said. "This," he pulled his goggles on, "is gonna be fun."

"Batman said that Captain Cold is attacking the Central City bridge," Aqualad said.

"I know where that is," Kid Flash said. He took a running position. "Try to keep up." He sped off to the west.

The bio ship dropped down red, green, and blue motorcycles. Robin grabbed his helmet, hopped on his bike and zoomed after Kid Flash. He kept his narrowed eyes on the road and followed the fading smoke on the ground left by Kid Flash. He could tell that the rest of the team was following closely behind him. Robin could see Superboy bounding across the sky with Miss Martian trailing closely behind him. Artemis and Aqualad drove up next to Robin's bike.

The Team drove down the Central City bridge and hopped off their vehicles. Robin threw his helmet off and stared at Captain Cold freezing the support lines. Cars were scattered around the street and people were running and screaming. Captain Cold's minions were running around with mini freeze guns.

Robin took out his Eskrima sticks and spun them in his hands. He charged forward and kicked down a minion.

Kid Flash grinned and zipped down the road. He knocked down three minions. One aimed his gun at Artemis and Kid Flash punched him in the face. He grabbed the gun and admired it. "Souvenir," he said happily.

Artemis rolled her eyes and notched an arrow.

Robin threw a birdarang at Captain Cold and knocked the freeze gun from his hands. The villain glared at the Boy Wonder and took out a smaller gun. He shot shards of ice at the superhero. Robin dodged and charged at him. He threw another birdarang, pinning Captain Cold to a support beam, and punched his lights out. The villain went limp.

"Aw, dude," Kid Flash whined, "I wanted to be the one to take him out. He's my super villain!" He cried out as he dodged another blast from a minion's freeze gun.

"Less talking, more fighting, Kid Mouth!" Artemis shouted. She shot down another minion with an exploding arrow.

Then, there was a loud crack. All eyes fell on the support line that Captain Cold had been freezing. It was frozen solid and shattering.

Aqualad's eyes widened. "Move!" he yelled.

The Team ran but the bridge gave way and they all fell. Miss Martian grabbed Superboy before he hit the water. Aqualad raised the water and solidified it under his feet. Kid Flash grabbed Artemis' hand with one of his and held onto the edge of the bridge with the other. He struggled to hold on.

Robin cried out as he fell into open air, but a gloved hand caught his. He looked up and saw a smiling Batgirl above him on the bridge. "Miss me?" she asked.

Robin couldn't help but grin. Batgirl pulled him onto the bridge quickly. "How'd you find us?" he asked.

"It doesn't take rocket science to track a Martian bio ship," Batgirl said.

"Hey!"

Robin and Batgirl looked up and were reminded of Kid Flash and Artemis hanging off the side.

"If you two are done catching up, we could really use some help!"

Robin grinned. He rushed off to help Kid Flash. He pulled the speedster up and Batgirl helped Artemis.

Aqualad approached the rest of the team. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine," Miss Martian assured him. She and Superboy landed next to him and looked down at where Robin, Batgirl, Kid Flash, and Artemis sat on the ground.

Robin cleared his throat and stood, brushing himself off. "Where's Captain Cold?" he asked.

The Team looked around at the giant gap between the two sides of the bridge. The villain was nowhere in sight. Aqualad peered into the water with narrowed eyes. Then, the water began to swirl and bubble. Black Manta suddenly burst out of the water and tackled Aqualad.

"Aqualad!" Kid Flash cried. He grunted as a Captain Cold minion shot him in the chest.

Artemis raised her bow, but she was tackled by one of Black Manta's henchmen. Superboy bounded forward and ripped Black Manta off of Aqualad. He threw the villain aside and pulled Aqualad to his feet. Miss Martian yelped as she was blasted with water and ice at the same time.

Robin pulled out three of his throwing discs and held them at the ready. He charged forward and found Batgirl at his side. He leapt into the air, spun, and threw his discs at Captain Cold. The villain was blown backward by the force of the three explosions. Batgirl fired her grapple and latched it around his waist. She tugged him forward, pulling herself towards him, and kicked him down. Robin grabbed his freeze gun and grinned. He aimed it at Black Manta.

Batgirl screamed. Robin turned and saw her held by two Black Manta henchmen while a Captain Cold minion pointed his freeze gun at her. Robin growled and shot his freeze gun at the Captain Cold minion. His whole body became encased in ice and he fell over. Robin threw the gun at one of the Black Manta henchmen and kicked down the other one.

Batgirl smiled at Robin. "Thanks, pixie boots," she said, winking.

"Don't think I'm not still mad at you," Robin said, trying not to smile.

"I think I can change that," Batgirl promised. She suddenly lunged forward and kissed him. Robin let out a small 'mph' in surprise. His cheeks pinked and he couldn't breathe.

"Hey!"

The two pulled away to see Kid Flash shooting them irritated looks.

"We're in the middle of a battle here!" he scolded. Though, looking back at it, Robin thought that it seemed a bit out of character for Wally to scold anyone for kissing.

Batgirl smiled. "Sorry." She ran off to help out Miss Martian.

Robin was frozen in place as he watched Batgirl run off. A tingly feeling was running through his body and a large grin slowly made its way onto his face. He cackled as he took out a few more discs.

Aqualad slashed at Black Manta's suit with his water-bearers. He cut a wire that connected his helmet to his neck. A strange bluish liquid sloshed out of the wire and he fell back into the water. Superboy hoisted Captain Cold over his heads and threw him in after Manta.

The henchmen and minions soon followed their leaders. The Team gazed down as they hit the water.

Kid Flash grinned. "Well," he toyed with his souvenir, "that was fun."

Artemis cast him a skeptical look. "That was your idea of fun?"

"Sure," Kid Flash shrugged. "What's yours?"

Artemis rolled her eyes and turned. She began walking and Kid Flash followed her. Superboy, Aqualad, and Miss Martian followed them.

Robin looked up at Batgirl. "Thanks for the help," he said, smiling.

"Anytime." She winked.

Robin's smile faded. Like always, Batman crept into his mind whenever he thought of Batgirl.

"Robin."

The Boy Wonder took out a red video communicator from his utility belt. "I'm here, Batman," he responded.

"Report, what's happened?"

Robin glanced over at Batgirl. "The mission was a success," he said, "thanks to a little help from a friend."

Batman raised an eyebrow. "Mind explaining to me what that means?" he asked bluntly.

Robin stared hard at the water. He could imagine all of the good things that could come out of revealing Batgirl to Batman. But the bad things seemed to outweigh them. He sighed. "Not much to explain," he said, shrugging. "Zatanna was kind enough to drop by for a visit."

"I see," Batman said. "I was under the impression that Zatara and his daughter were in the Caribbean."

"And, that's why her little helping hand never happened." Robin winked.

Batman wore his own version of a smile. "Of course," he said. "Get back to the Cave. Red Tornado's waiting for you."

"On my way," Robin said. "Over and out." He shut his communicator and stuffed it back in his belt. "I gotta go," he said to Batgirl.

"Until next time, Boy Wonder," Batgirl said slyly. She pecked him on the cheek and swung off the bridge.

Robin smiled. He'd have to return to favor to Barbara soon.

_**AN: Read and Review! **_


	5. How to Screw up a Love Story

Balancing

Chapter 5: How to Screw up a Love Story

(Dick's POV)  
>Okay, I many people (mainly Barbara) have called me an idiot before. And sometimes, I have to agree with them. I'll admit that I've done some really stupid stuff before. I've set off a stink bomb in the girl's bathroom. I put glue on a bully's sneakers after PE. And most recently, I snuck a red and black paint bomb in Houston's locker. So, after all those ridiculous (but incredibly brilliant) pranks, letting my secret slip to Batgirl has to top them all.<p>

Yep. I'm just that stupid. I, Dick Grayson, am an idiot. I said it—and I can't take it back now.

(General POV)

Robin threw a punch at Kid Flash's head. The speedster dodged and appeared behind him. The two were on the sparring floor of the Cave. Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis were watching the two battle. Kid Flash kicked Robin in the back, sending him stumbling forward. Robin regained his balance and smiled. He held his hand out and flicked his fingers back in a taunting gesture. It was a signature 'Batman' move.

Kid Flash grinned. He sped forward confidently.

Robin took a ready stance and waited. When Kid Flash was only one inch away from him, Robin swept to the side and kicked the back of Kid's ankle, lifting it into the air, and sending him flying to the ground. He skidded and groaned.

"Fail, Kid Flash," the computer announced.

Robin smiled and brushed his hands off. "Tell me about it," he said.

Kid Flash moaned. Superboy offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. "Weird how you've been in such a good mood since our last mission," he muttered grumpily.

Artemis walked up next to him. "Don't be jealous just because your best friend has kissed a girl and you haven't," she teased.

"I have too kissed a girl!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

Artemis scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." She walked away and Kid Flash followed, fully intent on proving her wrong.

Robin pulled his cape back on, having taken it off for the sparring. He checked his watch and grinned: 2:15. He was supposed to meet Batgirl in Gotham at 2:45. "I gotta go!" Robin said, running down the Cave.

Aqualad smiled slightly as he watched him go.

"I don't think I've ever seen him so happy," Miss Martian sighed.

Superboy cocked his head to the side. "I can't tell the difference," he said bluntly.

* * *

><p>Robin swung onto the top of Wayne Enterprise Tower. He looked around, but Batgirl was nowhere to be seen. The sky wasn't terribly bright in the winter sky. The air was comfortably warm.<p>

A dark figure hung upside down from the ceiling, their blue eyes watching Robin's every move. Silently, like a ninja, the figure dropped onto the floor. Then, they leapt at the Boy Wonder.

"Whoa!" Robin turned at the last moment and caught Batgirl by the arm. "I know you're happy to see me, but a simple 'Hello' would suffice," he said, smiling.

Batgirl returned his smile and he let go of her arm. "Does the ninja thing come with the whole 'trained by Batman' thing?"

"Nah," Robin waved his hand casually, "it's natural."

"Like your charm?"

"Exactly."

"Mm hmm," Batgirl said sarcastically. "Well," she took out a grapple, "are we just gonna stand here all day or are we gonna do something?"

Robin grinned. "Race you to the park!" He swung off the building as swiftly as a bird.

Batgirl hopped off after him. "You're on!"

"So," Robin swung from the top of the monkey bars and hung upside down, "how've you been?"

Batgirl smiled up at him. They were on the jungle gym. The main section where Batgirl was standing was connected to the monkey bars. "I'd be better if I wasn't being shut out of every single one of your missions," she said, cocking her head to the side.

"I doubt that." Robin let go and hung from his legs. He rubbed his aching shoulder. "You're not sore or bruised every day."

"Sure I am," Batgirl scoffed. "Who do you think takes care of all the baddies while you're off playing Young Justice?"

"Ouch," Robin said sarcastically, "that hurt more than my shoulder." Batgirl shoved his other shoulder playfully, swinging him back a forth a little. They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Why do you keep your identity a secret from the team?" Batgirl asked.

Robin sighed. He swung down from the monkey bars and faced her. "I knew this question was gonna come up sooner or later," he said. "Batman doesn't want me to reveal my secret identity in case they're ever forced to give it up somehow."

"You really think they'd ever give you up like that?" Batgirl asked.

"No," Robin said. He looked up at the nearly setting sun. "Not willingly, at least. I've dealt with mind control/manipulation before. There are ways to force information out of someone, even if they've got will of steel."

Batgirl stared at him. "Still," she insisted, "don't you think it'd build better trust if the team knew who you are?"

"Kid Flash knows my secret identity," Robin chuckled.

Batgirl straightened. "He does?" she asked. Robin nodded. "That explains why you two are so close."

"Yep." Robin grabbed onto a bar above him and did a few pull-ups. "KF's my best friend." He released himself from the bar and cracked his neck. "While we're on the subject of secret identities," he said, "how come you haven't told me yours?"

Batgirl scoffed. "I'll tell you mine when you tell me yours," she said.

Robin grinned. "Fair enough, Barbara." He paled as he realized what he said.

Batgirl stared at him. "What was that?" she asked carefully.

"What was what?" Robin asked.

"You called me Barbara," Batgirl said.

"Really?" Robin said. "Oh hey, look at the time. I gotta go." He fired off a grapple line and swung to the top of an apartment building. He looked back to see if Batgirl had followed him, turned back to his front, and jumped back in surprise when Batgirl was standing right in front of him.

Batgirl scoffed. She pulled off her cowl to reveal her beautiful face. "You know who I am," she said.

"Well, if I didn't before, I definitely do now," Robin said, attempting for some humor.

Batgirl remained as serious as before. "You've known who I am this whole time," she realized. She folded her arms and stared him down. Robin groaned internally. She was giving him that 'angry babysitter' look that Barbara gave Dick whenever she was mad at him.

"Maybe," Robin said bashfully. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Come on, I'm the partner to the greatest detective in the world. You expect me not to have figured it out? And plus…your hair color is really recognizable."

Batgirl raised a single eyebrow. "I can't believe this!" she said angrily. "You've known this whole time and you didn't let me know. How could you keep this from me?"

"Batgirl, I—"

"Forget it, Robin," Batgirl said firmly. She walked to the edge of the building and fired off a grapple. "Forget about this."  
>She swung off the building and Robin watched her go. After she was gone, he turned to the chimney and kicked it with all his might.<p>

"Ow!"

* * *

><p>Dick sighed as he sunk down into his bed. It'd been three days since Robin had revealed his secret to Batgirl. She'd been avoiding him since and had, apparently, stayed off the streets. She hadn't been seen since.<p>

A buzz caught Dick's attention. He took his phone out of his pocket and furrowed his brow. He picked it up. "Hey, Babs," he said, "what's up?"

"Hey, Dick," Barbara said. "I'm not really doing anything right now. Are you?"

"Uh, no, not really." Dick felt confused that Barbara would be talking to him. He figured that she'd still be upset about Robin. But then, he remembered that she didn't know his secret identity. Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish his two lives. "Why?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house today," Barbara said.

"Right now?" Dick asked apprehensively.

Barbara scoffed. "No, dummy," she said. "Today as in a week ago. Yes, right now."

He sighed. "…I don't know, Barbara."

"Come on, Dick. We haven't hung out in ages," Barbara persuaded. He could practically hear her puppy dog face from the other end of the line. "Please?"

Dick sighed again. "Fine," he said finally. "I'll be there in ten."

"Don't be late."

Dick rolled his eyes, smiling, and rolled out of his bed. He grabbed his green jacket and ran out of the mansion.

Dick and Barbara sat at her kitchen table. Papers were strewn about randomly on the table and the two were bent over, each of them writing something. "So," Dick said, "remind me why you asked me to come hang over and do homework?"

Barbara shrugged. "I thought you might take it as a compliment that I asked."

Dick looked up and leaned on his elbow. "I'm supposed to be complimented that you wanted me to help you with homework?"

Barbara continued working. "Yep," she said simply. Dick rolled his eyes and wrote something down on his paper. He glanced up at Barbara's hand that rested on the table. He was so tempted to grab it, but resisted. He watched the way a loose strand of hair fell in front of her face. She brushed it behind her ear and continued writing.

"You look nice today, Babs," Dick said.

She looked up. "Thanks," Barbara said apprehensively. Her eyes were slightly narrowed as though she were suspicious.

Dick nodded and finished his math problem. He extended his foot from under the table and touched hers. Much to his pleasure, she didn't pull away. Dick pushed the completed math homework forward and leaned back in his chair. He kicked his feet up and sighed. "That," he said, "was too easy. Why did you need help with it?"

"I didn't," Barbara responded calmly. "I just knew that you'd do it for me if I asked nicely."

Dick scoffed. "You didn't ask," he said pointedly. "You invited me over to hang out and tricked me into helping you with your homework."

Barbara shrugged. "I don't see much of a difference." She reached across the table and pushed his feet off. "You still did what I wanted." She set her pencil down and leaned on her elbow.

Dick smiled. "Oh, you and your manipulativeness," he said.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "I'm terribly underwhelmed with your 'making up words' thing," she said.

Dick grinned and laughed. "You should be," he said. "That's the point."

"Rather than being whelmed," Barbara said. She got up and walked over to the kitchen cabinet. Dick followed her and sat down on the counter. Barbara reached up and pulled down a plastic cup. She filled it up at the sink and stood next to where Dick sat on the counter. He swung his legs and smiled.

"You look nice."

"You've said that already." Barbara took a drink of her water.

Dick stared at her. "What did I get you for your birthday?" he asked absentmindedly.

Barbara looked up at him. "You got me…" she thought for a moment, "a book that I wanted."

"Right," Dick said, nodding. He suddenly cocked his head. "When's your birthday again?"

Barbara shoved him in the shoulder. "You're such a jerk," she said.

"Oh, really?" Dick challenged. "So, a jerk would do something like _this_?" He grabbed her bracelet from off her wrist and ran out of the kitchen.

"Dick!" Barbara rolled her eyes. She ran out of the kitchen and looked around the living room. Dick leaned down from where he hung upside down on the doorway and suddenly placed a necklace around her neck. Barbara jumped in surprise as Dick leapt down.

"Why wear that old thing," he tossed her bracelet back to her, "when you could wear this?"

Barbara looked down at the necklace. It was a gold chain with a red bird, a robin, in flight as the charm. "Dick, it's beautiful," she said. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

Dick smiled when they separated. "It's nothing," he said modestly. "It's the least I could do for my favorite girl."

Barbara smiled, ignoring the soft pink that tinted her cheeks. "Where'd you get this?" she asked, looking down at the charm.

"Peter from the mall flower cart hooked me up at his mom's jewelry store," Dick explained.

"I gotta remember to thank him," Barbara said. She looked down at the charm thoughtfully.

"I hope this makes up for the lame book," Dick joked. "And just know that this doesn't count as a Christmas present. I'm still getting you something for that."

Barbara smiled softly. "You go out of your way for me sometimes, Grayson," she said.

"It's my job, Gordon."

The two teens smiled at each other. "You look nice today," Dick said for the third time. Barbara simply smiled at him. She leaned forward ever so slightly.

"Barbara!"

They jumped at the sound of Jim Gordon's voice.

"I'm home!" Jim walked into the living room and smiled at the pair. "Hi there, Dick," Jim said. He shook hands with Dick and put his arm around Barbara. "What's going on here?"

Barbara blushed and looked away.

"I was just helping Barbara with some homework," Dick explained calmly. He winked at Barbara without her father seeing.

"And we're done now, so I think we're just gonna go up to my room," Barbara said. She grabbed Dick's hand and dragged him towards the staircase. "Bye, Dad!"

Dick turned while Barbara pulled him along. "Bye, Mr. Gordon!" he said, waving.

Jim smiled as his daughter pulled Dick up the stairs. He shook his head. "When are those two kids gonna get together?"

Barbara pulled Dick into her room and slammed the door shut.

"Okay." Dick pushed some hair from his face and smiled. "This seems all too familiar." Barbara plopped down on her bed and lied down. He sat down next to her. "Where's the fire, Babs?" he joked. "Or are you really eager to get away from your dad?"

Barbara sighed. She brushed some red hair from her face. "Dad's just been a little annoying lately," she said, rolling her eyes.

Dick leaned down on his elbow and furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well," Barbara said, "I've been a little busy lately—"

"Doing what?" Dick interrupted.

Barbara hesitated. He fought back a knowing smirk. He always took pride in knowing things Barbara didn't. "Some extra credit stuff for school," she said slowly.  
><em><br>Babs always was a terrible liar,_Dick thought with amusement in his head.

"I've been trying to take care of my responsibilities," Barbara said, "but my dad keeps trying to butt into my life."

"He cares about you, Barbara," Dick said. "Don't push him away."

"I'm not pushing him away," Barbara persisted.

"You're just rejecting his attempts to try and spend more time with you."

She glared at him for a moment.

He grinned at her. "Pinned ya," he mocked. Barbara rolled her eyes and Dick lied down next to her. "You need to appreciate what you got while you got it. I know that."

Barbara's gaze softened. "I know you know," she said. She stroked the back of Dick's hand with her finger. "I'm sorry."

"Pointless apology accepted," Dick said, smiling. He folded his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. Barbara continued to stare at the side of his face. "I'm too tough to be worrying about family issues."

"You amaze me," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I _am_quite amazing," Dick joked. "I don't blame you."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Boy Genius," she groaned, rolling over.

Dick grinned and rolled over to look at her back. He rubbed her shoulder and pulled some hair behind her ear. "Barbara," he said in a fake sleepy voice, "Barbara, wake up." He tickled her side and playfully blew her face.

Barbara giggled and rolled onto her back. "Dick!" she said. "Stop it!" She swatted his hand away and giggled when he nuzzled his face into her neck. "Get off me!" Barbara pushed him firmly on the shoulder, to no avail. Dick laughed and placed his hand on Barbara's other side. He gazed down at her. Barbara brushed some black hair from his face. "You need a haircut," she said.

Dick snickered. "You need a breath mint," he retorted.

Barbara feigned hurt. "You're a jerk," she said halfheartedly.

"Love you, too, Babs." Dick grinned.

Barbara's heart fluttered. She smiled softly and gently touched his cheek. Dick leaned into her hand and closed his eyes.

"Barbara!"

Dick and Barbara jumped apart, the former scrambling off so fast that he fell off the bed. "Ow!" Dick cried out when he hit his head on Barbara's desk.

Jim Gordon attempted to hold back his laughter when he walked in. "Barbara, I got a call and I need to head down to the station," Jim said.

Barbara's cheeks were bright red. She'd bolted upright after Dick fell off the bed. She brushed some hair behind her ear. "Okay, dad," she said. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah," Jim said. He walked forward and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Barbara said. She watched her father grab the door handle. "I love you."

Jim stopped in his tracks. He smiled. "I love you, too, Barbara." He closed the door behind him.

Dick awkwardly climbed back onto Barbara's bed. He slid slowly next to her. "Sorry about that," he said.

Barbara shook her head. "It's fine," she said. "My dad…"

"You said you love him," Dick said, sounding more like a six year old than anything. Barbara shoved him in the shoulder. "I'm proud of you." He put his arm around her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Barbara set her head in his shoulder. She sighed. "You smell," she mumbled into his shirt.

Dick laughed. "I was working out earlier," he said.

Barbara straightened to look him in the eye. She looked skeptical. "You?" she asked. "Working out? You're joking, right?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "Really, Barbara, is it that hard to believe that I work out?" He flexed his left arm. "Check out these guns!"

Barbara scoffed and squeezed his bicep. "Feels more like a twig to me," she said.

Dick chuckled. "Admit it, Babs, I whelm you," he said slyly.

"Get traught, Grayson."

The two grinned at each other.

* * *

><p>Robin swung off of a lamppost. He shot off a grapple and landed on a gargoyle. He looked down over the city and smiled. It was satisfyingly quiet. It was unusual, but calming. Robin looked up when a noise off to the right alerted him of someone else's presence. For a person with untrained ears, it would've gone unnoticed.<p>

Robin pretended he didn't hear anything. There was a light rustle of what sounded like a cape. The wind whistled quietly. Robin tightened his grip on the gargoyle's head. A dark figure jumped at Robin, hands positioned for his head. Robin caught Batgirl's hand at the last moment before she could grab his domino mask. "Sorry to disappoint you, Batgirl," Robin said, "but I just can't."

Batgirl pulled her arms from his grasp. She glared at him. Something about the glare strongly reminded him of the way Artemis looked at Wally. Then, something clicked. Robin gasped.

"Fine," Batgirl said. Robin tried to reach for her, but she jumped. "I'll leave you alone."

* * *

><p>Dick groaned as he fell back on his bed. There was a knock on the door. "Dick?" Bruce walked in looking concerned. "Are you okay?"<p>

Dick sat up. "I'm not sure," he said.

Bruce sat down on his bed next to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Dick raised an eyebrow at him. It was rare for Bruce to be fatherly, so Dick wasn't sure how to be sonly. "It's…Barbara," he said with difficulty.

"Oh," Bruce said. He'd never been very good with girl issues. He smiled, though. "Barbara…"

"I know, I know," Dick said. "It's stupid."

"Not at all," Bruce said. "Barbara's a nice girl and if you like her—"

"That's the thing!" Dick said. "I don't know if I like her!"

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"No." Dick sighed. "I'm confused."

Bruce smiled down at his adoptive son. "You know, when you two were younger," he said, "Jim and I used to joke about you two growing up and falling in love. Now, I never thought it'd actually happen, but…"

Dick stared at him. "Whoa!" he said, waving his hands around. "Who said anything about love?"

Bruce held his hands up innocently. "No one," he said, "I just meant that it's okay for you to like Barbara. You don't have to be confused. You just gotta listen to your heart."

Dick chuckled. "Awfully cliché, Bruce," he mused.

"I learned from the best, kiddo." Bruce stood and ruffled Dick's hair. "Goodnight, Dick." Bruce closed the door behind him.

Dick looked down at the floor. A picture from on his bedside table caught his eye and he looked up. Dick smiled as he reached for the picture. He and Barbara were at the park, Dick hanging upside down on the monkey bars while Barbara stood next to him. She had her arms folded and her weight on one leg. Dick's hair hung wildly and his smile was a mile wild. "Awfully cliché," Dick sighed. He set the picture back down and pulled up his bed covers. Smiling one last time at the picture, Dick closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Barbara opened her locker. A small square of folded up paper fell out of it and onto the floor. Barbara bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it.<br>_  
>Barbara,<br>Meet me in the garden at sunset. I have to talk to you about something. Oh, and look in your locker. Just something so you don't forget.  
>-Dick<br>_  
>Barbara smiled down at the note. She looked into her locker and found a small red rose. She laughed softly. "Cliché, Grayson," she whispered, shaking her head. Barbara smelled the rose and shut her locker.<p>

* * *

><p>Barbara had gone to the manor after school. Alfred had kindly let her in and told her that Dick was taking a shower. She wandered into his room, not wanting to go into the garden until Dick was ready. She sat down on his bed and looked around. Barbara spotted the picture on his bedside table and smiled.<p>

"Barbara!" Dick called from the bathroom down the hall.

She stood and walked to the door. "Dick?" she responded.

"Are you here already?"

Barbara snickered. "No, I'm in the garden already!" She could practically hear Dick roll his eyes. "I'm in your room!"

"Go wait in the garden! I'll be out in a minute!"

"Okay!" Barbara heard the bathroom door close. She was about to leave, when a familiar red color caught her eye. She approached Dick's dresser where a familiar looking tunic was hanging out of a drawer. Barbara grabbed the suit and pulled it out. The R symbol gleamed on the chest. She dropped the tunic.

Dick ran out into the garden, his hair still slightly wet from his shower. "Hey Barbara!" he said. Barbara was faced away from him as he ran to her. "I've gotta—"

Barbara turned around and revealed herself, holding Dick's red Robin tunic and his domino mask. "Robin."

Dick stopped in his tracks. He stared at Barbara, not knowing what to say. "Babs—"

"Did you think I'd never find out?" Barbara asked, hurt apparent in her voice. Dick flinched. "You've hid this secret from me for four years!"

"Barbara," Dick said. He walked forward and tried to take her hand. She pulled it away.

"I can't believe you!" Barbara said angrily. Then, realization flashed in her eyes. "Oh my god, I've kissed you twice!"

"I enjoyed them," Dick said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Don't joke about this, Dick!" Barbara scolded. She ran her hand through her hair like she did when she was stressed. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Dick narrowed his eyes slightly. "You didn't tell me about Batgirl," he said pointedly.

"That's different."

"No, it's not," Dick said firmly.

"I was going to tell you," Barbara said, folding her arms.

Dick laughed bitterly. "Oh, yeah? When?"

"When the time was right," Barbara said.

Dick rolled his eyes. "Right," he said sarcastically.

Barbara glared. "Don't try and make me look bad," she said, placing her hands in her hips. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why?" Dick asked. "For the same reason I haven't told the Team!" Dick grabbed her hand and forced her to look him in the eye. "Babs, I don't want anything to happen to you because of me! I couldn't handle it if The Penguin or someone tortured you to get my secret ID out of you!"

Barbara ripped her arm from his hold. "We're best friends, Dick," she said. "We're supposed to tell each other everything, remember?"

"You think I never wanted to tell you?" Dick demanded. "I've wanted to tell you since we were 10! You know how it is."

"You mean you don't trust me," Barbara said.

"What?"

"You never trusted me with your secret!"

Dick shook his head. "No!" he swore. "I trust you with my life."

"Apparently not!" Barbara said. She threw the tunic and mask on the ground and shoved past Dick.

"Where are you going?" Dick asked, turning as she walked away.

"Home," Barbara said. Dick caught up to her and grabbed her wrist. Barbara whipped around and slapped him hard across the face. Dick, stunned and hurt, stared at her with wide eyes and a red cheek. Barbara bit back tears and stormed around the corner and down the street.

Dick watched her go. "Urgh!" he groaned. He kicked a tree trunk and gripped at his foot.

"Ow!"

Bruce frowned as he watched the shouting match in the garden.

Alfred walked by and heard Dick and Barbara's shouting. "So," he said, "the time has finally come, sir?"

"Yeah," Bruce said, staring down at Barbara, "the time has come."

_**AN: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to knightmare1986. I don't know who you are, but your review made me feel really happy and it inspired me. Thank you, my readers, so much! I hope I'm making you guys as happy as you're making me! Read and Review!  
>Once again, sorry about the long…<strong>_**really**_** long wait. I'll try to do better next time.**_


	6. Insomnia

Balancing

Chapter 6: Insomnia

12:16…

Dick sighed and rolled over in his bed. He'd been staring at the clock for the past half hour. Thinking about Barbara, he just couldn't fall asleep. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. Dick picked his phone up from his bedside table.  
><em><br>I can't sleep until you forgive me_. Send.

Dick had sent at least a dozen texts like that to Barbara since he'd lied down in bed. She hadn't responded to any of them. Dick sighed. He folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

><p>Barbara tossed and turned in her bed. Her phone vibrated from her bedside table. She groaned. "Go to sleep, Dick," she mumbled sleepily into her pillow. She rolled over and grabbed her phone.<br>_  
>I can't sleep until you forgive me.<em>

Barbara shut her eyes tight and threw her phone aside. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and glanced at her clock: 12:17. She groaned again and turned away from it. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Dick sagged in his desk. He tried to keep his eyes open. He leaned his head on his elbow and stared sleepily at the board as Mr. Tucker pointed to it. When his eyes began to drift close, Mr. Tucker noticed him.<p>

"Mr. Grayson!"

Dick snapped up so fast he nearly fell out of his chair. "Mr. Tucker?"

"If you could so _kindly _keep your eyes open," he said, poison laced into his words, "I'd like to continue teaching." Some students snickered at him.

Dick nodded and sat up straight. "Of course, Mr. Tucker," he said. "Sorry."

Mr. Tucker turned back to the board.

Dick's head fell into his hands. From across the room, Barbara stared at him. She tore her gaze away to study the history lesson.

* * *

><p>Robin sluggishly dodged a punch from Killer Croc. He leapt to the side and nearly lost his balance. Killer Croc punched him in the chest and sent him flying back into the side of a building.<p>

The Team had been sent to Gotham to stop Croc. He'd been attacking toxic waste trucks to flood the sewers.

Artemis nailed Killer Croc in the jaw with a boxing glove arrow. Superboy punched him between the eyes. Kid Flash swept past his legs and tripped him. Miss Martian popped open a fire hydrant and the water blasted Croc in the face. Aqualad placed his hands in the water and shocked him. Killer Croc screeched in pain before falling into unconsciousness.

Robin moaned as he got on all fours. Kid Flash sped over to him. "You alright, Rob?" he asked, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah," Robin said weakly. Kid Flash slung his arm over his shoulders and began dragging him to the bio ship. He shook his head in an awakening way. "I just…didn't get much sleep last night."

"What, the Bats doesn't force you to sleep with some magic pill?" Kid Flash joked.

Robin tried a weak smile.

Aqualad looked at the Team. "Well done," he said. They began loading up into the bio ship. "Robin," he said, stopping the Boy Wonder, "may we speak?"

"Sure, Aqualad," Robin said. Kid Flash released him and followed Artemis into the bio ship. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You seem…distracted and exhausted," Aqualad said carefully.

"Yeah." Robin stretched his arms and yawned. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't do, though, boss."

Aqualad didn't seem convinced. "Whatever you feel is best," he said.

Robin smiled weakly. That's what he liked about Aqualad. He didn't press on things that the other person didn't want to talk about. As they were flying in the bio ship, Robin saw Barbara's house and exhaustion drained through his body again.

* * *

><p>Barbara opened her locker to find a note and a small red rose taped to the inside of the door. She pulled the note off and unfolded it.<br>_  
>I miss you. I'm sorry.<em>

Barbara sighed in agony and leaned against her locker. She slowly slid to the floor and covered her face with her hands.

A girl approached her. "Boy trouble?" a familiar voice asked.

Barbara looked up and wiped her wet eyes. "Hi Artemis," she said. The blonde fifteen-year old sat down next to her.

"Yeah, boy trouble."

"That's the worst kind," Artemis remarked. "So, who's the boy?"

Barbara hesitated. "Dick Grayson," she finally admitted.

Artemis raised an eyebrow and suppressed a snicker. "The playboy billionaire's adopted son?" Barbara nodded. "Wow…so, what happened?"

"I slapped him."

"Oh."

"And he apologized and told me he missed me."

"…Sounds bad." Artemis thought of Wally, half of her mind freaking out at herself for doing such. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Barbara said. She wiped away a tear and sniffled.

Artemis gazed at her in sympathy. "Tell him you miss him," she suggested simply.

Barbara looked up at her. "What?"

"Tell him you miss him," Artemis repeated. "I can tell that you do."

"How?" Barbara asked. "I've been ignoring him for the past three days. He's been telling me that he can't sleep until I forgive him."

Artemis smiled. "That explains a lot," she said, thinking back to where Dick nearly dropped a barbell on himself in PE.

"But…why are you mad at him, exactly?"

Barbara sighed. "It's complicated," she moaned.

"Complicated 's my middle name," Artemis said. The younger girl would never realize how true that was.

Barbara smiled. She appreciated Artemis' sympathy. Her smile faded. "I found out that Dick was keeping a secret from me for four years," she said. "We're best friends. We're supposed to tell each other everything." Artemis nodded. "But…I was also keeping a secret from him. Not for four years, of course, but still…"

Artemis nodded once more. "It sounds like you both need to apologize to each other," she reasoned. "You both care about each other, right? I think that's the right thing to do." She stood up. "Then again, what do I know about relationships?" Artemis shrugged and walked off to her next period.

Barbara sighed and leaned her head against the back of her locker.

* * *

><p>Dick stared up at the Batcomputer. He'd been monitoring Barbara's house for the last three hours. She hadn't left the house and no one approached. His eyes were heavily lidded, but open.<p>

Bruce walked down the stairs. "Dick?"

Dick barely moved his head. "Huh?" he asked sleepily.

"Dick, what are you doing down here?" Bruce asked. He approached the young boy and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's past midnight."

"I can't sleep," Dick said brusquely. He changed cameras and the screen shifted to looking at the house from a different angle. "I've tried."

"Dick," Bruce said. He looked down at the tired boy below him. "Go to bed."

"I can't," Dick said stubbornly. "I have to make sure nothing happens to Babs." His eyes were bloodshot and wide open.

"This isn't healthy," Bruce scolded lightly.

"You do this almost every night," Dick said. He glared, but didn't take his eyes off the screen.

Bruce pressed a button and the screen went black.

"Hey!"

"Dick," Bruce grabbed the boy's shoulders firmly and made him face him. "You need to get some sleep. Your lack of sleep has been effecting your crime fighting. Think about the Team."

Dick sighed. "I can't go to sleep," he said dejectedly. "I can only think about Barbara. I think about her, and I can't sleep because I know she's mad at me. I don't know if…" He turned the screen back on and stared at Barbara's bedroom window.

Bruce's brow furrowed in sympathy. "You don't think you'll get past this fight," he said, not asking a question.

Dick shook his head. "I don't know," he said. He thought back to the fight. Barbara knew his secret identity. "Bruce, I…"

"Go to bed." Bruce turned off the screen and walked towards the exit. "I'll see you in the morning."

Dick sighed. He stood from the chair and pushed it in. He looked down at his Robin costume. Barbara knew who was behind the mask. He'd have to tell Bruce eventually. Dick exited the Batcave.

* * *

><p>Robin chased after Two-Face. The villain had been working with Scarecrow to try and break into Gotham's largest science and technology institute. Two-Face turned around as he ran and fired a gun. Robin dodged swiftly and threw a birdarang. It snapped the gun from Two-Face's hand.<p>

The Team and the villains were in the institute, in a large main room with several tables set up. Artemis leapt onto a table and shot an arrow at Scarecrow. It expanded into a net and tied him up. He whipped out a knife and cut himself free. As he ran after Two-Face, he threw the knife back.

The knife struck the wall two inches from Kid Flash's head. "Whoa," he breathed. He pried the knife from the wall and admired it for a moment. "Souvenir," he said, smiling.

"You want a souvenir that nearly killed you?" Miss Martian asked, flying overhead.

Kid Flash shrugged. "Sure," he said simply.

Two-Face laughed as he ran into the backroom. Robin ran after him with Superboy on his heels. Scarecrow whacked Aqualad with a hammer and followed them.

Kid Flash zoomed around the room, knocking down minions left and right. One had a gun pointed at Artemis and he whacked him in the back of the head with the knife's handle. Artemis saw this. "You owe me big time!" Kid Flash gloated. "You owe me big—whoa!" A 7 foot minion with a giant hammer fell when Artemis' arrow hit him.

She smiled. "Call it even," she said slyly before hopping off to help Miss Martian.

Kid Flash grinned and zoomed into the backroom. "So," he said, appearing suddenly next to Robin, "what's the plan, Rob?"

Robin examined the large humanoid robot drilling into a vault. "Take out the robot," he said. "Then we deal with Two-Face and Scarecrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Kid Flash pulled down his goggled and sped at the robot. He jumped on its back and stabbed it with the knife. Superboy followed up and punched the crack the knife left. The robot's back caved in and the thing exploded.

Two-Face snarled. "I've had enough of you kids!" he said, taking out a grenade.

Robin jumped down on him and kicked him in the face. "I've had enough of this mission!" he said. He turned towards Scarecrow and kicked. The villain dodged the blow and several others. He grabbed a large gun from his bag and shot Robin in the face in a squirt of bright green gas.

"Rob!" Kid Flash yelled, both he and Superboy looking up at him in worry.

Robin fell to the floor, twitching and writhing in pain.

Aqualad, Artemis, and Miss Martian burst into the room. Aqualad charged at Scarecrow and slammed him in the face with his water bearers in the form of hammers.

Kid Flash rushed to Robin's side. He shook the boy's body. "Rob!" he said frantically. "Rob, c'mon! Wake up!"

"Get him to the bio ship!" Aqualad ordered.

Superboy picked up Robin's body and the Team ran off to the bio ship.

* * *

><p>"Will he be okay, Batman?" The Team was standing in the medical bay of the Cave.<p>

Wally gazed down at Robin's body, hooked up to different machines that he couldn't name.

Batman checked his heart rate. "I don't know," he said.

Wally never liked that answer, especially from Batman. He was supposed to know everything.

"What was that gas Scarecrow got him with?" Superboy asked.

"Fear gas," Batman answered, "a toxic gas designed to plague the victim with thoughts and visions of what they fear the most."

"Is there an antidote?" Aqualad asked.

"I'm attempting to formulate one," Batman said. "Until then, Robin will be stuck in a coma-like state."

Robin twitched in his sleep. His eyes were clamped shut from behind his domino mask. His back arched and his hands flexed. His breathing picked up and his pulse quickened. After a moment, it returned to normal and the Team released breaths they didn't realize they were holding.

* * *

><p><em>Dick ran hard in the darkness. He turned the corner and ran into an alley. A dark figure stood at the end, a gun in his hand. Dick gasped. Batman jumped between them and took out a batarang. "Dick, run!" he said. He threw the batarang. The man dodged it and fired his gun.<em>

_"No!" Dick screamed._

_Batman fell to the ground. His body remained motionless. The man cackled and stepped into the light to reveal the wicked face of Joe Chill._

_Dick turned around and ran. He shut his eyes tight and burst through fabric curtains. "Somebody help!" he shouted. "Batman! He needs help! Somebody!" Dick looked around and saw that he was in a circus arena. "No…" he breathed._

_"Ladies and gentlemen!" a man announced. "Please welcome The Flying Graysons!" An invisible crowd cheered and the spotlight shined in two people standing high by the ceiling._

_"No!" Dick screamed._

_John and Mary Grayson leapt into the air and invisible ropes snapped. And they fell._

_Dick shut his wet eyes tight and ran. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to get away._

* * *

><p>Bruce and Alfred gazed down at Dick. After the team had left about an hour ago, Bruce had taken his mask off. Alfred had come shortly after they arrived back at the Cave. He was taking care of Dick while Bruce tried to find an antidote.<p>

"What do you think he sees, Alfred?" Bruce asked thickly.

Alfred remained silent for a moment. "His parents, I imagine, sir," he said curtly. "Loved ones, dying before his eyes…I imagine that he'd see you, Wallace, Barbara."

Bruce nodded. He walked over to a nearby table and checked on the antidote.

* * *

><p>Barbara picked up her phone. She leaned back against her bed and waited. The other end picked up.<p>

"Hello?" Wally West said into his phone.

"You're Kid Flash," Barbara said immediately.

Wally stiffened. "Barbara?" he said. "What—what do you—how—?"

"Forget that," she said. "I heard Robin got sprayed with fear gas."

"Yeah," Wally said. "He's—"

"Where is he?"

"Easy!" Wally said. "Batman's got him in the med bay at the Cave, Mount Justice."

"Mount Justice?" Barbara asked. "All the way in Rhode Island?" She groaned and hit her bedpost.

"Well…" Wally said, pausing for dramatic effect.

"Wallace West, if you do not tell me what 'well' means right now, I will personally stick you in a blender and feed your remains to Wolf."

Wally stared at his phone. "Wow, you sound just like Artemis," he said. "Okay, I'll tell you. There's a zeta transporter in Gotham. I'm not sure where, but—"

"That's all I needed to know," Barbara said. "Thanks, Wally."

"Anything for you, sweet cheeks."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Save it for Artemis, Kid Flirt." She cut off the call and pulled her Batgirl costume out of her secret drawer of her dresser.

* * *

><p>Artemis notched an arrow and aimed it at the jewelry store window. She let it fly and the burglar fell to the ground, unconscious. She smiled in satisfaction just as the cops showed up.<p>

"Nice shot."

Artemis whipped around on the rooftop with her bow pointed at the voice.

Batgirl stepped into the moonlight. "Relax," she said. "It's me."

Artemis lowered her bow. "Batgirl," she said, "what are you—"

"I'm looking for the zeta transporter that can get me to Mount Justice," she said.

"Oh," Artemis said, "you heard about Robin?"

"Yeah," Batgirl sighed. "I need to see him."

Artemis smiled. "You remind me of someone…but I can't remember who."

Despite everything going on, Batgirl smiled. "I get that a lot," she said.

"Okay," Artemis said, "the zeta tube's over—"

Two shuriken stuck in the rooftop by Artemis and Batgirl's feet. They exploded puffs of black smoke and the two girls fell, unconscious.

Cheshire and Black Spider landed next to their bodies. Spider shot out two webs and tied them up. He threw Batgirl over his shoulder. Cheshire looked down at Artemis. "I'm sorry about this, sister," she said.

* * *

><p><em>"No!"<em>

_Kid Flash fell. The rest of the Team lay next to him, all of them dead on the ground._

_Dick fell to his knees and tears fell from his eyes. His hands balled into fists and he pounded the ground in despair. A loud, shrill scream pierced the air like a knife to ice. Dick looked up._

_The Joker had Barbara at gunpoint. Two minions held her in place. Joker laughed insanely. "What's the matter, bird boy?" he asked tauntingly. "Your girlfriend doesn't look so good!"_

_"Robin!" Barbara cried. "Help me!"_

_"Babs!" Dick tried to run to her, but his body froze. Mr. Freeze blasted him with a freeze gun and laughed. Dick struggled, but he couldn't break free. "No! Barbara!"_

_The Joker laughed. "Come on, Boy Blunder!" he shouted. "Be like Batman! Save the day! Or are you not strong enough?" He cackled. "You're weak! You don't have what it takes! You're just a pathetic little bird!"_

_"No!" Dick screamed. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he desperately tried to break free from the ice. "I'm not weak!"_

_"Then, save her!" Joker ordered. "Prove your strength! Strike me down, like your mentor! Save the girl and be done with it!"_

_Dick cried out in desperation. He shut his eyes tight._

_"Please," Barbara whimpered. She was crying. "Please, Dick…"_

_"Barbara," Dick whispered. "I'm sorry."_

_The Joker glared disapprovingly. "You're weak," he spat at Dick. "You're no hero." He shot Barbara through the spine like it was nothing._

_"No!" Dick screamed. Barbara crumpled to the ground._

_Joker flipped the gun and pocketed it. "You're pathetic," he said, venom dripping from his voice._

_The ice melted from Dick's body and he fell to his knees. He was crying. He crawled over to Barbara's motionless body and took her cold, lifeless hand. "I'm so sorry…" he said weakly._

* * *

><p>Dick sat bold upright in his bed. His pulse was pounding and he was in a cold sweat. He panted heavily. "Barbara!" he shouted.<p>

Batman rushed to his side. "Robin!" he said.

Dick felt his face and realized that he had his mask on. Kaldur, Megan, and Conner were standing by his bed, all of them looking at him worriedly. "What…what happened?" he asked, rubbing some sweat from his face.

"You were blasted with fear gas," Batman said. "You've been in a coma for about 16 hours."

"Hours?" Dick asked. "W—where's Bar—Batgirl?"

"Guys!" Wally zoomed into the med bay at top speed. "Artemis and Batgirl are in trouble!"

"What?" Dick and Megan asked at the same time.

Wally flipped on the TV news.

"Superheroes Artemis and Batgirl are being held hostage at the Capital City jail," reporter Cat Grant remarked. "The two were captured last night by Cheshire and Black Spider. The villains, who also include Sportmaster and The Joker, are demanding a ransom of 1 million dollars to release Artemis and Batgirl."

Robin punched the side of one of the medical machines, shattering some of the glass. He stood from the bed and ripped some cords from his body.

"Robin," Aqualad said, "you should rest—"

"No!" Robin said. He walked to the door. "It's my fault," he said. "It's my problem. I'm gonna fix it."

* * *

><p>Cheshire sighed impatiently. She looked around Capital City. It was bright and sunny with many parks. There were houses, apartments, business buildings, you name it. She, Black Spider, Sportsmaster, and The Joker stood on top of the Capital City jail. Artemis and Batgirl were still unconscious and tied up on the ground at their feet. "They'll be here soon, huh?" Cheshire mimicked.<p>

Sportsmaster glared at her. "Be patient, little girl," he grumbled. "I know that the Justice League will not allow these two to be killed." He nudged Artemis with his foot.

"I don't understand why it had to be these two," Cheshire said.

Sportsmaster chuckled. "Oh, don't tell me you've begun to care about the girl, Cheshire," he mused.

The villainess said nothing. She stared down at Artemis' limp form.

A whir broke through the air and a birdarang struck the ground at Sportsmaster's feet. With a beep, it exploded and blew the villain backwards.

The explosion woke Artemis and Batgirl. They attempted to sit up, but the binds prevented them from doing so.

Robin crashed down on Sportsmaster and kicked him in the chest. The villain pushed him off and grabbed a javelin. He threw it, but the Boy Wonder dodged it. He gracefully threw another birdarang at Cheshire. She knocked it to the side and charged at him. Aqualad blocked her and pushed her back with his swords.

Superboy jumped at Sportsmaster. The two went flying off to the side and nearly rolled off the edge of the rooftop. Miss Martian levitated Sportmaster's equipment bag and launched it at them. Superboy bounded away before the heavy bag smacked Sportmaster in the face.

Kid Flash zoomed onto the rooftop and tackled Black Spider. The villain was knocked off his feet and rolled to a stop. He shot a web. Kid Flash spun, creating a tornado and sent the net flying back at Black Spider. He fell back, tied up.

Joker laughed and pulled a gun from his pocket. He pointed it at Batgirl's head. "You kids think you can beat us?" he asked.

Robin kicked him in the back and caught the gun that flew in the air. "Yeah," he said, glaring, "I know we can." He bent down and untied Batgirl. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

"Thanks," she said.

Robin smiled at her. "Anytime," he breathed.

Kid Flash quickly freed Artemis. "I'm always chasing after you, huh, Arty?" he joked.

Artemis glared. "Only because you're too slow to catch me," she said slyly. Kid Flash laughed and pulled down his goggles. He grabbed Artemis' bow and quiver from Sportsmaster's bag and tossed them to her.

"You owe me," he said, winking. She rolled her eyes and shot Black Spider with an arrow.

Robin kicked Sportsmaster in the face. He jumped back and saw The Joker turn his gun in Batgirl. She was preoccupied with helping Aqualad take down Cheshire. "No!" Robin screamed. He ran at Joker, punched him in the face, kicked him in the gut, and the trigger was pulled.

"Robin!" Batgirl shrieked.

The Joker cackled. Robin fell to the ground, cradling his side. "Finally clipped the bird's wings!"

Aqualad ran at The Joker and smashed him in the face with his hammers. Superboy punched Sportsmaster in the face and knocked him into unconsciousness.

Cheshire looked up as he fell. "I better be going," she said.

"Oh, no you don't!" Artemis said. She shot her with an arrow and trapped her in a net.

Kid Flash spun in a tornado and caught Black Spider. He stopped spinning and the villain flew into the air. After a moment, he fell and hit the ground.

The Team rushed to Robin's side. "Miss Martian, summon the bio ship!" Aqualad ordered.

"Hang on, Rob!" Wally said.

"I'll get him on board!" Superboy volunteered.

"Hurry!" Artemis said.

Robin felt Superboy's strong arms grab him and pick him up. He moaned weakly and saw Batgirl through his hazy vision. "Batgirl…" he whispered before everything went black.

* * *

><p>Dick opened his eyes to find himself in a small hospital room. He wore no shirt due to the large patch of gauze on his wound. He looked to the side and found his shades resting on the bedside table. Slipping them on, Dick sighed. He remembered what happened. He remembered blood. He probably ruined Superboy's T-shirt.<p>

The Joker had a gun pointed at Batgirl. Dick sighed. He remembered running and pain. He ran a hand through his hair. It was scary. He'd never admit that out loud, though.

"_RICHARD JOHN GRAYSON!_"

That sound…that sound scared him. Dick braced himself for the oncoming stampede.

Barbara Gordon burst through the door with a fierce look in her eyes. "What—in the world—were you thinking?" she asked in rhythm.

Dick would've answered, thought he doesn't know what with, until Barbara ran at him and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug. She burrowed her face in his neck and held back a sob. He wrapped his arms around her, mindful of his injury. "Good to see you, too, Babs," he whispered.

"Don't you dare joke about this, Dick," Barbara mumbled grudgingly into his shoulder. He chuckled. "I can't believe what you did."

"You expect me _let _you get shot?" Dick asked, pulling back and looking Barbara in the eye. He sat up in the bed. He suddenly noticed his lack of a shirt. Taking off his shades, he looked around and grabbed a baggy white T-shirt from the foot of his bed. He pulled it on over his head and shook his head. "I could never let something like that happen to you, Babs," he said.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Why do you always have to play the hero?" she asked in exasperation. She sat next to Dick's legs on his bed.

Dick grinned. "Playing the hero is my job," he said, "as you now know." His happy mood dipped as his words reminded him of their big fight. "That reminds me…" he took her hand, "I should apologize for…you know."

"You've apologized at least ten times already," Barbara said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but not in person," Dick said. He looked her in the eye and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for keeping my secret from you. I should've trusted you. I guess…that I was just scared. I thought that, if a villain really wanted to know my secret ID, someone would go after you and I don't want—"

"Hey," Barbara said softly, interrupting his ramble. She gently placed her hand on his face and looked him in the eye. "I understand. You did what you had to do. I'm not mad at you anymore."

Dick's face lit up. "Really?" he asked.

Barbara smiled and nodded. "Really," she said. "Just promise me something."

"Anything."

Barbara looked at him seriously. "No more secrets," she said. "Tell me everything."

Dick smiled. "Promise," he said. He held his pinky out. Barbara laughed a little and intertwined their pinkies. He chuckled a little. But his smile faded once more.

Barbara noticed. "What's wrong?" she asked. She leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.

Dick sighed. "When Scarecrow sprayed me with fear gas," he said slowly, "I saw…things."

Barbara ran her hand through his hair. "Dick, tell me," she persuaded softly.

He looked into her blue eyes and broke. "I saw you," he said. "I saw everyone that I love die before my eyes. The Joker…he had a gun. I—I couldn't stop him! And…he shot you, Babs. He shot…" Dick bowed his head, blinking back tears.

Barbara took his face in both of her hands. "Dick," she said firmly, "look at me." He obliged slowly. "I'm alive," she said, pushing some of his hair back. "I'm here. Nothing happened. It was just a nightmare."

"Barbara," Dick breathed, "it just…it just made me realize how much you really mean to me. But I guess I was just too stupid to realize it." He smiled weakly. "I've been blind, like Wally. Barbara, I don't know what I'd do if I actually lost you."

"You're not going to lose me," Barbara said.

"You don't know that," Dick said. "I like you, Babs." His face broke out in a grin when Barbara's eyes widened in surprise. "I really, _really _like you. I've had feelings for you for the longest time and I think I just haven't realized it. God, I've been stupid, haven't I?" He laughed. "I care about you so much that when you're mad at me, I can't sleep. That's why the fear gas showed me you! My god, I've been so stupid!" Dick looked at Barbara with a twinkle in his eyes. "When you glared at me, it reminded me of the way Artemis glares at Wally! That's why—"

Barbara grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him forward to press their lips together. Dick tried not to be too surprised and responded immediately. She moved her hands up to his hair and pulled him closer. Dick wrapped his arms around her waist. After a few moments, Barbara laughed and the two pulled apart, grinning. They rested their foreheads against each others. "Finally got you to shut up, Boy Wonder," Barbara whispered.

Dick chuckled and closed his eyes. "You're the only girl that can," he said.

"Don't forget it."

He laughed again before pressing their lips back together.

A knock at the door forced them to pull apart. Bruce walked into the room and smiled. "Hi, kids," he said, leaning on the doorframe. "How are you, Dick?"

Dick smiled up at him. "I'm better now," he said, glancing at Barbara, "thanks to Babs."

"Don't you mean Batgirl?"

The two teenagers looked up at Bruce, complete shock in their eyes. "You knew—?"

"Guys, I'm The Batman," Bruce said, smiling, a much too rare occurrence, "I've known this whole time."

Dick and Barbara laughed in disbelief. Bruce nodded and exited the room. The two teens looked at each other and smiled.  
>"How did I not see that coming?" Dick asked, shaking his head.<p>

Barbara smiled and shrugged. "Shut up and kiss me," she said. He laughed and happily obliged. And in Barbara's book, it was totally worth waiting four years for.

**_AN: Yay, the final kiss! Okay...Artemis was horribly OOC, I know. And Bruce probably was, too. Ugh *Slams head on keyboard*_**

**_Read and Review!_**

**_***NOTE***_**

**_I will me doing reference rewards for my new stories that I'm working on, Project Sidekick (Young Justice) and Blackbird Chronicles (Batman). Reference Rewards are these things that I'll be doing with individual chapters of my stories. I will make cultural references (from a cartoon or TV show or book) in chapters of the stories and the first person to review with the correct cartoon/TV/book the quote was from will win a free Young Justice one-shot from me on the subject/characters/genre/plot of their chocie!_**

**_***NOTE***_**

**_When I finish a story, I like to take reviews from people asking questions about the story/me/whatever and i will post another chapter answering their questions. So, review and ask questions!_**

**_***NOTE***_**

**_Should I do an epilogue? I have one kinda written out, but I don't know if I should post it. So, I'll leave that up to you guys. Tell me what I should do!_**


	7. Epilogue

Balancing

Epilogue

"Dick," Barbara said, forcing patience, "where are we going?" Dick's hands were covering her eyes as he led her blindly to some unknown location.

Dick smirked, not that Barbara could see it. "It's a secret," he whispered mischievously. "You'll find out in a minute." He slowly and carefully led Barbara down some stairs. The air felt cold and it seemed dark. A cold wind swept past Barbara, making her shiver. Dick kissed her bare shoulder, making her shiver even more.

"You could've warned me to wear a jacket," Barbara said.

"Oops," Dick snickered. She elbowed him in the gut. Dick stopped walking and removed his hands. "Okay," he whispered, "open."

Barbara opened her eyes. She stood in a dark chasm-like cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Beady red eyes of bats looked down at her from the ceiling. A large computer was mounted on the wall in front of her with a black chair in front of it. A platform to the left lead to the Batmobile. A tunnel by it lead to the city. The Batplane sat on a platform to the right. Barbara gasped. "Wow…" she breathed.

Dick grinned and looked around with her. "It's cool, huh?" he asked.

"This is the Batcave?" Barbara asked in awe.

"It is," Bruce said, smiling and stepping out of the shadows. "And now, you're welcome."

Barbara's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I am?" she asked. "As Barbara…and Batgirl?"

Bruce nodded. "As Batgirl as well," he said.

Dick smiled. "_I _talked him into it," he said pointing to his chest.

"Uh huh," Barbara said sarcastically. She leaned over and kissed him in the cheek. "Thanks, Boy Wonder."

Bruce smiled at the pair. "Welcome to the Bat Family, Barbara."

* * *

><p>Dick and Barbara were on their stomachs on the floor on the Cave. They were in the living room with the TV playing the News in the background. A chess board sat between them and several pieces were missing.<p>

Barbara chewed on her bottom lip as she considered her next move. She pretended like she didn't see Dick's glances at the neckline of her shirt. Her eyes sparkled and she moved her bishop. "Checkmate," she said, looking coyly up at Dick. "I win."

Dick grinned. "And what will your prize be, Miss Gordon?"

Barbara rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Shut up and kiss me." Dick obliged without protest and he and Barbara sat up a little to meet their lips in the middle, the chess board completely forgotten.

Wally walked into the room and grimaced at the scene before him. "Eugh," he grimaced, "get a room, you two."

Dick pulled back only enough to say, "Don't you have a girlfriend you could complain to?" before Barbara pulled him back into the kiss with her hand on the back of his neck.

"She's pissed at me," Wally snapped. "No way am I going to talk to her right now."

"That's never stopped you from bothering her before," Barbara said. Dick smirked before Barbara once again pressed her lips against his.

"That is _so _not—"

"Would you leave them alone, Wally?"

All three heads looked up at the sound of a female voice. Artemis stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Dick and Barbara are obviously preoccupied at the moment." She raised an eyebrow and a smile flickered on her lips.

Dick smiled up at her. "Kinda like how you and Wally were 'preoccupied' during the movie marathon last night?" he asked, smirking evilly.

Both Wally and Artemis' cheeks went bright red. Barbara held back a snicker.

"That's different!" Wally said defensively.

"How?"

"..."

Dick smirked triumphantly. "That's what I thought," he said smugly.

Barbara smirked. "You're such a troll, Dick," she said, shaking her head.

"Just one of the many reasons you love me, right?" He raised a single eyebrow and smiled.

"Keep telling yourself that, pixie boots."

A scream from the TV alerted the four teens' attention. "There seems to be no end to villain Bane's rampage on Civic  
>City," reporter Cat Grant announced.<p>

Barbara sighed. "What is it Superman calls it?" she asked, standing with Dick. "The never-ending battle?"

Dick laughed. He pulled out his domino mask and stuck it on his face.

"Hero time."

**_AN: That's it! I finally finished! I'm super sorry about the long waits in between chapters, but I hope it was worth it.  
>Be sure to check out Project Sidekick, my newest story!<br>Read and review!_**


End file.
